Univ.  of  ill.    Library 
-5t 

3  <>o;u 


LI  B  R.ARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 

PRESENTED  BY 
George  R.  Carr 
Class  of  1901 
1951 

382.097731 
C434 
T.H.S. 


DONATED  TO  THE 

and  Traders 


CHICflG 


No 


OMMERCE,  MlNUFlCTURES, 


INKING, 


-AND 


1884.; 


PUBLISHED  BY 


S.  FEED.  HOWE  &  CO. 

PKICE,  82.00. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1884,  by 

S.  FEED,  HOWE  &  CO., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


Printed  and  Bound  by 

T.   Xj-   :ES:E<3--&.2iT    do    CO-, 

CHICAGO. 


1 


IPREFSCEK 


'T^HE  marvelous  progress  made  in  the  commerce  and  man- 
^  ufactures  of  Chicago,  has  suggested  the  idea  that  a 
complete  and  exhaustive  review  of  the  leading  branches  of 
trade  would-  prove  of  inestimable  advantage  to  the  commer- 
cial interests  of  the  city,  as  well  as  of  absorbing  interest  to 
all  business  men  throughout  the  United  States.  Various 
publications  have  been  made,  from  time  to  time,  which  have 
pretended  to  have  such  a  purpose  for  their  object;  but  all, 
or  nearly  all  of  these,  have  proved  to  be  merely  personal 
advertising  schemes. 

In  presenting  this  review  of  "Chicago  Commerce  in  1884" 

-to  subscribers  and  the  public,  the  publishers  wish  it  to  be 

** 

*N  understood,  that  it  is  their  intention,  that  this  work  should 

o 

^  form  the  basis  of  similar  annual  publications. 

The  principal  object  being  to  afford  to  country  merchants 
^particularly,  and  to  bankers  and  capitalists  in  the  East  and 
Europe,  the  fullest  information  obtainable  regarding  all 


*->the  most  important  business  interests  of  the  city,  and  to  pre- 
.  sent  in  each  issue  as  accurate  and  complete  a  statement  of 
*rhe  condition,  development  and  prospects  of  each  leading 
^  line  of  business  as  can  possibly  be  obtained. 

(in) 


iv  PREFACE. 

Statistics  compiled  from  the  best  and  most  reliable  sources 
will  form  a  large  feature  of  each  work;  but  these  will  be 
elaborated  and  illuminated  with  carefully  written  reviews 
setting  forth  in  concise  form  all  the  particular  advantages 
and  circumstances  that  have  led  up  to  the  present  stage  of 
growth,  and  which  give  promise  of  yet  greater  advancement. 
In  short,  these  books  will  be  a  compendium  of  information  for 
the  guidance  and  enlightenment  of  merchants  and  dealers  of 
all  kinds  in  the  great  Western,  Northwestern  and  South- 
western Territories,  now  tributary,  and  which  can  be  made 
tributary  to  this  city. 

Every  effort  has  been,  and  will  be  made  in  the  future,  to 
keep  the  pages  of  these  works  free  from  all  appearance, 
even,  of  advertising  individual  interests ;  but,  to  make  them 
the  best  advertisements  of  the  general  interests  of  Chicago 
by  giving  reliable  and  full  accounts  of  the  prominent  indus- 
tries of  the  whole  city. 

OFFICE:     No.  166  Eandolph  St.,  Chicago. 


COMPLETE 

TO 

Will  be  found  at  the  End  of  the  Book. 


(v) 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. 


All  persons  to  whom  a  copy  of  this  Work  is  forwarded 
are  particularly  requested  to  acknowledge,  by  mail,  the 
receipt  of  the  same  to  the  sender. 


(vi) 


INTRODUCTORY  REVIEW. 


When  we  say  that  the  phenomenal  enterprise  of  Chicago 
has  been  a  surprise  to  the  civilized  world,  we  are  merely 
clothing  in  simplest  words  an  unquestionable  fact.  Cob- 
den,  than  whom  no  thinker  of  modern  times  observed 
closer,  or  was  better  qualified  to  estimate  the  commercial 
promise  and  importance  of  a  city,  counseled  a  traveling 
friend  to  see  Chicago  and  Niagara,  the  two  unapproachable 
wonders  of  the  New  World.  This,  however,  was  some  years 
ago,  and  since  that  time  the  development  of  our  city  has 
distanced  rivalry,  outrun  precedent,  and  surpassed  the 
expectations  of  the  most  sanguine.  Indeed  her  marvelous 
record  may  be  fairly  said  to  have  added  a  new  chapter  to  the 
possibilities  of  urban  growth.  While  other  cities  have  grad- 
ually doubled  in  population  by  means  of  their  natural 
increase  and  the  slow  accretions  of  emigration,  Chicago  has 
quadrupled,  not  only  in  numbers  but  in  extent,  as  well  as  in 
the  magnitude  and  importance  of  her  commercial  and  indus- 
trial facilities.  Year  by  year  she  has  pushed  her  confines 
back  upon  the  prairie,  environing  and  absorbing  a  score  of 
outlying  suburbs.  Year  by  year  trade  has  been  creeping 
up  the  residence  streets,  invading  the  once  sacred  precincts 

(7) 


»  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

of  fashion,  and  driving  its  dwellers  North  and  South  to  lake 
front  park  and  boulevard.  The  great  fire  modernized  the  city, 
leveling  the  ground,  and  rendering  possible  the  uniform  ele- 
gance of  the  business  portion.  Its  lessons  and  its  benefits 
have  been  thus  invaluable,  teaching  as  it  did  the  neces- 
sity of  prudence  and  ampler  protection,  and  supplanting 
acres  of  less  pretentious  structures  with  the  iron  and  marble 
magnificence  of  to-day.  Chicago  energy  has  become  pro- 
verbial. She  aims  to  lead,  to  outshine,  to  outdo,  and  is  con- 
tent with  the  second  place  only  where  her  geographical  posi- 
tion precludes  the  possibility  of  her  attaining  the  first.  Her 
constant  endeavor  is  to  make  her  structures  more  costly  and 
complete  than  similar  ones  in  other  cities;  public  buildings, 
parks  and  works  are  designed  to  excel  the  best  models,  and 
private  enterprise  has  ever  the  same  end  in  view.  This  in 
fact  is  the  clew  and  the  key  to  Chicago's  greatness,  and  it  is 
this  ambition  which  has  made  us,  if  we  may  be  allowed  a 
novel  expression,  the  superlative  city  of  the  world,  in  the 
sense  that  we  contain  more  of  best  things  than  are  to  be 
found  in  any  other  city.  For  example,  the  most  complete 
hotel,  the  most  exquisitely  decorated  theater,  the  most  per- 
fect and  extensive  system  of  public  parks. 

Without  inquiring  exhaustively  into  the  reasons,  we  may 
thus  accept  as  an  undoubted  fact  that  extraordinary  growth 
is  the  normal  condition  of  Chicago.  More  than  a  decade  ago 
she  sprang  to  the  front  among  our  inland  cities  in  the  race 
for  commercial  supremacy,  and  as  all  the  broad  West  pays 
tribute  to  her,  the  growth  of  the  newer  States  and  cities  only 
strengthens  her  position.  Indeed,  Chicago  is  remarkably 
situated  in  that  she  is  nearer  than  any  other  city  to  the 
centers  of  population,  of  wealth;  and  when  we  consider  the 
vast  belt  of  arid  and  mountainous  country  in  the  West,  she  is 
the  city  nearest  the  geographical  center  of  productive  soil  in 
a  country  three  thousand  by  one  thousand  miles  in  extent. 


INTRODUCTOEY    REVIEW.  9 

Our  commercial  facilities  are  owing  in  great  part  to  our 
immense  natural  advantages.  Commerce  in  this  country 
moves  on  parallels  of  latitude,  but  ours  is  a  movement  in  all 
directions,  since  we  are  situated  on  the  only  great  East  and 
West  water-way  in  North  America,  and  at  the  center  of  a 
web  of  steel  whose  radii  reach  the  ocean  in  three  directions, 
and  to  the  northward  touch  the  limit  of  civilized  life.  Our 
advantages  of  site  are  equally  striking,  our  lake,  our  level 
streets,  our  forked  river,  and  our  many  railroads,  affording 
as  they  do  unequaled  opportunities  for  traffic,  while  back  of 
all  is  the  illimitable  possibility  of  expansion,  inviting 
industries  by  the  certainty  of  low  rents  and  an  amplitude 
of  room.  Owing  to  this,  our  superiority  is  easily  main- 
tained, and  our  ability  to  lead  the  world  in  handling  natural 
products,  lumber,  live  stock,  etc.,  while  as  the  nearest  con- 
centrative  point  for  the  harvests  of  the  West,  we  have  long 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  world's  great  cities  as  a  market  for 
grain. 

Then,  too,  while  handling  the  products  of  the  West,  and 
being,  in  addition,  the  largest  distributing  center  for  the 
manufactured  articles  of  the  East,  we  are  rapidly  taking 
rank  with  the  foremost  cities  in  home  manufactures,  in  many 
special  branches  of  which,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
pages,  Chicago  claims  a  foremost  place. 

As  a  residence  city,  there  are  few  in  the  land  more  desir- 
able, the  summer  climate  in  particular  rendering  it  unusually 
and  uniformly  healthful  and  delightful.  The  park  system 
is  the  admiration  of  visitors,  embracing  as  it  does  the  beau- 
tiful resorts  known  as  Lincoln,  South,  Garfield,  Douglas, 
Jackson,  Humboldt,  Union,  Jefferson,  Rogers,  and  Douglas 
Monument  Parks.  Its  public  buildings,  the  finest  in  the 
West,  include  the  Post  Office,  Custom  House,  City  Hall, 
Court  and  Jail  buildings,  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  the 
North  and  West  Side  Water  Works,  and  others  less  import- 


10  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

ant;  and  finally,  the  system  of  internal  transportation  is 
unequaled  in  the  country,  the  city  being  belted  with  a  con- 
verging network  of  cable  and  horse  railway  lines,  which 
render  access  to  any  portion  both  easy  and  expeditious. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  extend  these  prefatory  remarks, 
since  the  details  of  the  chief  industries  of  the  city  will  be 
found  in  this  volume  in  their  appropriate  places.  The  fol- 
lowing brief  historical  summary  of  important  events  in  the 
life  of  the  city  may  not,  however,  be  uninteresting,  as  illus- 
ing  the  marvelous  rapidity  of  its  growth. 

A  derivation  of  the  name  Chicago,  certainly  poetical,  and 
perhaps  as  well  authenticated  as  any  other,  derives  the  word 
from  the  Indian  word  "  Checaque,"  meaning  thunder.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  in  1662  the  first  white  travelers,  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  Marquette  and  Joliet,  visited  Northern  Illinois.  In 
1778  the  site  of  the  future  city  was  in  the  territory  of 
Virginia.  In  1787  Illinois  was  a  county  of  Virginia.  In  1795 
the  Indians  ceded  to  the  United  States  a  tract  of  land  six 
miles  square,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River.  In  1796 
came  the  first  settler,  a  negro,  from  San  Domingo.  In  1800 
the  site  of  the  city  was  included  in  the  territory  of  Indiana. 
Three  years  later  came  the  first  sailing  vessel,  the  "  Tracy," 
of  Detroit.  1804  witnessed  the  erection  of  Fort  Dearborn 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  In  1809  it  was  part  of  the 
territory  of  Illinois.  In  1812  the  Indians  massacred  the 
settlement.  In  1818  there  were  again  two  resident  families. 
In  1825  John  Kinzie  became  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  thirteen  tax  payers  paid  a  tax  of  $40.47  on  a  tax  list  of 
$4,047.  In  1826  the  first  white  woman,  Mrs.  Trask,  made 
the  place  her  home.  In  1827  arrived  R.  E.  Heacock,  the 
first  lawyer.  In  1830  the  place  boasted  a  school  mistress  in 
Mrs.  Stephen  Forbes.  In  1831  Caleb  Blodgett  built  a  brick 
house  on  the  north  side  of  Adams  Street,  between  Dearborn 
and  State,  and  this  year  also  saw  the  organization  of 


INTRODUCTORY    REVIEW.  11 

Cook  County.  In  1832  they  had  a  Sunday-school;  the  next 
year  a  jail,  a  Postmaster,  a  weekly  mail,  and  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel,  a  Methodist  by  the  way.  In  1834  the  first 
schooner  entered  the  river,  and  the  first  wagon  rolled  into 
the  town,  which  now  enjoyed  a  Sunday  prohibitory  liquor 
law,  with  a  penalty  of  five  dollars;  while  1835  brought 
twin  calamities  in  the  shape  of  the  first  divorce  and  the  first 
church  fair.  In  1837  the  city  was  chartered,  and  chose 
Wm.  B.  Ogden  as  its  first  Mayor.  In  1839  came  the  first 
daily  newspaper,  "  The  Daily  American,"  the  first  censu,s 
showing  4,170  residents,  of  whom  77  were  black,  and  104 
sailors;  and  the  first  directory,  containing  1,660  names.  In 
1840  a  side-wheel  steamer  was  built  on  the  river.  In  1850 
a  railroad  ran  out  of  the  city  forty  miles,  to  Elgin,  111.,  and 
Chicago  now  had  30,000  inhabitants.  In  1852  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad  brought  the  first  passengers  from  the  East. 
In  1857  they  purchased  a  steam  fire  engine,  and  named  it 
the  "  Long  John,"  from  the  then  Mayor,  John  Wentworth. 
In  1859  came  the  horse  cars.  In  1860  the  census  showed  a 
population  of  112,172.  In  1870  it  had  swelled  to  300,000, 
and  finally,  in  1871,  October  10th,  the  terrible  fire  made  the 
year  forever  memorable. 

The  marvelous  recuperative  powers  of  the  city,  the  indom- 
itable energy  with  which,  individually  and  as  a  community, 
they  set  to  work  to  repair  their  losses ;  the  undaunted,  uncom- 
plaining, unhesitating  pluck  with  which  the  millionaires  and 
merchant  princes  of  yesterday  began  anew  at  the  foot  of  the 
ladder,  and  the  consequent  giant  strides  by  which  the  city 
regained  and  passed  her  former  eminence,  is  one  of  the  most 
surprising  chapters  in  the  annals  of  any  people.  Without 
unnecessary  amplification  or  an  exhaustive  statistical  inquiry 
into  her  progress  since  the  fire,  we  may  yet  give  comparative 
figures,  showing  the  growth  of  two  or  three  of  the  more 
prominent  industries.  In  the  year  ending  March  1,  1874, 


12  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

1,826,560  hogs  were  packed  for  exportation.  A  decade 
later,  in  the  year  which  closed  March  1,  1883,  the  number 
had  swollen  to  4,222,780.  During  1864,  338,840  cattle  were 
received  in  the  city.  In  1883,  the  number  had  increased  to 
1,878,944.  Finally,  the  receipts  of  grain  in  1853  aggre- 
gated 6,928,459  bushels,  while  subsequent  years  have  placed 
her  at  the  head  of  the  grain  market  of  the  world,  her  receipts 
during  1883  reaching  the  colossal  figures  of  164,924,732 
bushels,  and  even  this  has  been  greatly  exceeded  by  the 
receipts  of  1884. 


CHICAGO  COMMERCE 


-JN:- 


BANKING  AND  FINANCE. 


All  the  varied  interests  of  the  country  are  more  or  less 
directly  dependent  on  the  banks.  Both  as  storehouses  and 
distributors  of  money,  they  are  indispensable  to  a  prosperous 
commercial  people,  and  it  should  be  the  policy  of  legislators 
to  free  rather  than  to  hamper  them  by  unwise  enactments. 
Cut  down  the  legitimate  profits  of  an  institution  and  you 
drive  it  to  extra  hazards,  which  impair  its  stability;  pros- 
perity and  integrity  go  hand  in  hand. 

The  simplest  form  of  bank  was  a  place  for  the  safe 
keeping  of  deposited  money,  but  time  has  added  other  func- 
tions of  equal  importance.  The  primary  object  of  banking, 
as  of  all  other  legitimate  business,  is  a  fair  remuneration, 
but  their  right  to  this  seems  to  be  more  questioned  as  their 
usefulness  increases.  No  one  who  has  watched  the  tenden- 
cies of  the  times  can  be  unaware  that  a  silent  contraction, 

(13) 


14  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

wide-spread  and  potent,  is  changing  monetary  conditions. 
This  is  owing — according  to  eminent  financial  authority — 
to  the  excessive  hoarding  of  bank  notes,  which  may  be 
attributed  in  a  great  measure  to  an  unreasoning  distrust  of 
savings  banks,  born  of  the  occasional  failures  and  the  chain 
of  defalcations  which  recently  startled  the  Atlantic  cities. 

Although  the  money  thus  retired  is  mostly  in  the  hands 
of  small  holders,  the  volume  withdrawn  by  this  means  from 
circulation  is  so  vast  as  to  make  the  tabular  official  state- 
ments as  to  the  quantity  of  notes  and  specie  in  movement 
throughout  the  country  far  from  being  correct. 

This  incidentally  demonstrates  a  fact  of  a  different 
nature,  and  that  is  the  perfect  confidence  in  which  the  issues 
of  our  banks  are  held.  The  reverse  of  this,  it  will  be 
remembered,  was  the  case  in  1857,  when  the  bank  notes  issued 
under  legislative  enactments  of  the  several  States  were 
received  with  such  disfavor  and  distrust  that  men  made 
haste  to  pay  them  out  in  liquidation  of  debts,  for  fear  they 
might  depreciate  in  value  on  their  hands;  the  hoarding  of 
those  days  being  confined  to  gold  and  silver. 

Thus  it  happened  somewhat  singularly  that  their  very 
weakness  enabled  them  to  successfully  perform  their  func- 
tions, and  thus  it  is,  that  through  periods  of  panic  and 
depression  we  are  slowly  tending  to  a  banking  system  of  so 
much  elasticity  as  to  adjust  itself  to  the  ever  changing  con- 
ditions born  of  the  phenomenal  growth  of  our  country  in 
resources  and  population. 

That  the  banks  of  Chicago  are  making  a  rapid  and 
steady  progress  which  will  soon  give  them  rank  with  the 
greatest  in  the  world,  must  be  evident  to  the  least  informed. 
Their  true  pre-eminence,  however,  its  causes,  and  the  vast 
volume  of  business  transacted  by  them,  are  little  understood 
even  by  our  own  citizens.  Still  this  may  be  partly  because 
their  growth  has  been  a  steady  normal  development,  and  for 


BANKING   AND    FINANCE.  15 

that  reason  unnoted.  It  would  require  disturbance  or 
derangement  to  direct  public  attention  to  them,  and  in  that 
sense  a  bank  is  like  a  nation,  "  happiest  when  it  has  no 
history." 

For  the  past,  the  record  has  been  most  gratifying,  show- 
ing as  it  does,  good  profits,  increased  surplusses,  strengthened 
confidence,  extended  business  facilities,  and  connections  with 
the  leading  banking  centers  of  the  world.  In  fact  our  banks 
are  now  depended  on  to  a  great  extent  to  furnish  Eastern 
exchange  for  other  cities,  and  Chicago  has  become  the 
recognized  financial  center  of  the  West — bearing  indeed  the 
same  relation  to  the  West  that  New  York  does  to  the  entire 
country.  We  are  growing  each  year  more  and  more  inde- 
pendent, and  owing  to  the  accumulation  of  capital  here,  we 
rarely  have  been  occasioned  to  order  currency  from  the 
East.  In  a  thoughtful  review  of  the  monetary  interests  of 
this  city  the  "Tribune"  says:  "Chicago  is  rising  more 
and  more  towards  the  position  of  clearing-house  city  for  the 
banks  of  the  West  and  Northwest.  The  country  banks 
prefer  to  keep  their  reserves  here,  knowing  that  Chicago 
banks  compare  favorably  in  regard  to  strength  and  integrity 
with  those  of  Eastern  cities,  while  the  time  required  for 
actual  cash  transfers  is  much  less — which  is  often  an 
important  item.  They  have  also  learned  to  regard  this  city 
as  a  never-failing  source  of  aid  in  cases  of  extraordinary 
demand  incidental  to  crop  movements.  Even  the  larger 
cities  of  the  West  depend  upon  us  to  a  considerable  extent. 
St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  and  Milwaukee  have  largely  availed 
themselves  during  the  last  year  of  the  facilities  which 
Chicago  affords  for  effecting  commercial  exchanges." 

The  following  statement  will  in  a  measure  serve  to  show 
the  magnitude  of  the  business  conducted  in  this  city.  First, 
the  individual  deposits  exceed  in  amount  those  of  all  the 
rest  of  the  State.  Second,  one  National  Bank  in  Chicago 


16  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

alone  has  a  larger  sum  of  money  on  deposit  than  any  other 
National  Bank  in  the  country  outside  of  New  York.  Third, 
Chicago  has  one  National  Bank  with  nearly  ten  millions 
committed  to  its  custody  by  individual  depositors,  one  with 
over  five  millions,  two  with  over  three  millions,  two  with 
more  than  two  millions,  and  two  with  between  one  and  two 
millions  on  deposit.  Outside  of  Chicago  in  this  State  the 
Alton  National  Bank  alone  has  more  than  a  million  dollars 
intrusted  to  it  by  depositors. 

There  has  been  no  demoralization  in  the  loan  market 
here  as  in  the  East.  Rates  have  varied  from  5  to  7  per 
cent.,  while  call  money  has  been  obtainable  at  4  per  cent. 
Indeed  a  fund  loaned  by  the  banks  subject  to  a  demand  call 
has  added  great  strength  to  their  reserve  power,  and  enabled 
them  to  continue  that  moderate,  prudent  help  of  the  needy 
which  has  long  been  their  policy. 

The  facilities  of  Chicago  banks  for  doing  European  busi- 
ness are  unsurpassed  even  by  New  York.  In  fact,  we  are 
the  only  inland  city  with  such  direct  exchange.  In  addition 
to  this,  the  enormous  shipments  of  products  from  here  leave 
constantly  a  large  balance  in  our  favor,  which  enables  us  at 
all  times  to  supply  other  cities  with  Eastern  exchange. 
When  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  make  shipments  to  European 
ports,  bills  of  lading,  drafts  and  the  proceedings  necessary 
for  collection  are  made  through  New  York  or  Boston.  In 
Chicago  the  entire  business  is  transacted  by  our  banks 
direct  with  the  port  of  consignment,  thus  effecting  an 
important  saving  in  time  and  intermediate  commissions  and 
expenses. 

Capital  naturally  seeks  the  West  as  the  best  field  for 
investment,  and  is  largely  and  constantly  accumulating. 
This  development  directly  benefits  us,  since  we  are  the 
depository  for  the  country  banks  of  a  wide,  prosperous  terri- 
tory, including  Iowa,  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  even  remoter 


BANKING    AND    FINANCE.  17 

States,  all  of  which  keep  their  large  balances  here.  While 
Eastern  wealth  is  in  manufactories,  often  closed  or  working 
on  half  time,  we  have  no  idle  factories,  and  the  crops  of  each 
year  add  to  our  intrinsic  wealth,  which  is  keeping  pace  in 
its  increase  with  the  unparalleled  growth  of  our  population. 
This  has  rendered  our  banks  almost  entirely  independent  of 
New  York,  as  was  abundantly  demonstrated  during  the  recent 
financial  troubles  in  that  city,  which  did  not  affect  a  single 
banking  institution  here ;  in  fact,  no  bank  failure  has  occurred 
in  Chicago  since  1877. 

The  men  at  the  head  of  Chicago  banks,  and  the  list 
includes  some  of  the  most  eminent  authorities  on  finance  in 
the  United  States,  are  neither  given  to  speculation  nor  to  be 
tempted  into  the  maelstrom  of  politics.  They  are  men  of 
broad  views,  conservative  and  practical,  and  closely  identified 
with  the  prosperity  of  the  city.  Though  any  quantity  of 
money  can  always  be  obtained  here  for  legitimate  purposes, 
hazardous  schemes  and  the  fatal  method  of  doing  business 
on  stock  exchange  collateral,  as  the  result  of  which  New 
York  City  banks  now  carry  a  debt  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
millions,  whose  payment  depends  on  these  securities,  find 
little  encouragement  here.  To  this  prudence  and  integrity 
may  be  attributed  our  immunity  from  failures,  as  well  as 
from  the  epidemic  of  speculative  cashiers  and  defalcations 
which  has  swept  the  Eastern  States. 

Still,  though  always  safe,  Chicago  banks  are  eminently 
successful.  To  give  some  idea  of  the  various  sources  from 
which  they  derive  their  revenue,  we  may  state  that  in  one 
year  the  single  item  of  loans  and  discounts  reached  the 
enormous  sum  of  $300,000,000. 

The  Clearing  House,  which  was  established  as  a  private 
institution  in  1870,  was  incorporated  under  the  State  laws 
in  1882,  and  its  present  membership  consists  of  twelve 
National  Banks,  five  State,  and  two  large  Canadian  banks 
which  have  branch  offices  here. 


18  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

The  capital  and  surplus  employed  by  these  institutions 
as  returned  to  the  Clearing  House  October  1,  1884,  which 
was  the  last  date  that  the  reports  were  made  up,  aggregate 
$21,900,828. 

Their  detailed  statements  returned  to  the  Clearing  House 
on  the  date  mentioned,  compared  with  the  same  time  in  1883, 
were  as  follows: 

1884.  1883. 

Number  of  Banks 19  19 

Capital $14,186,000  $13,886,000 

Surplus  and  Undivided  Profits     7,714,828  4,931,000 

Deposits 78,173,000  81,078,000 

Loans 57,580,000  61,509,000 

Banks  outside  of  the  Clearing  House  employ  a  capital 

estimated  at  $3,000,000,  making  a  total  aggregate  banking 

capital  of  $24,900,828. 

This,  however,  by  no  means  fully  represents  the  entire 
capital  employed  in  banking  in  Chicago,  as  the  Canadian 
banks  having  offices  here  only  return  to  the  Clearing  House 
the  amount  with  which  they  are  charged  as  fixed  capital  by 
the  banks  they  represent,  and  are  always  at  liberty  to  call 
on  their  home  institutions  for  any  further  sum  they  can  use. 
The  expansion  of  the  city's  commercial  and  financial 
transactions  is  partly  reflected  by  the  report  of  the  Ch  cago 
Clearing  House,  furnished  by  its  efficient  manager,  W.  S. 
Smith,  Esq.,  which  is  as  follows: 

COMPARATIVE    CLEARINGS. 

The  following  shows  the  clearings  from  1865  to  1883, 
inclusive : 


BANKING   AND    FINANCE.  19 

1865  (nine  months) $319,606,000  00 

1866 453,798,648  11 

1867 580,727,331  43 

1868 723,293,144  91 

1869 734,664,949  91 

1870 810,676,036  28 

1871 868,936,754  20 

1872 993,060,503  47 

1873 1,047,027,828  33 

1874 1,001,347,948  41 

1875 1,212,817,207  64 

1876 1,101,092,624  37 

1877 1,044,678,475  70 

1878 967,184,093  07 

1879 1,257,756,124  31 

1880 1,725,684,894  85 

1881 2,229,097,450  60 

1882 2,366,536,855  00 

1883 2,525,622,944  00 

Following  will  be  found  the  latest  statements  of  the  lead- 
ing banks  of  the  city: 


20  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

THE   FIBST   NATIONAL   BANK 
OF   CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884. 


RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $9,991,240  72 

Overdrafts __        18,035  34 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

U.  S.  bonds  on  hand 83,900  00 

Other  bonds 559,950  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $1,076,371  34 

Due  from  other  National  banks 504,210  70 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 586.525  23 

2,167,107  27 

Eeal  estate,  banking  house 500,000  00 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House $839,371  83 

Bills  of  other  banks 186,000  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies,       3,126  89 

Specie 1,854,383  10 

Legal-tender  notes 2,311,630  00  . 

Redemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per 

cent  of  circulation) 2,250  00 

Due  from  U.  S.  Treasurer,  other  than  5  per 

redemption  fund 26,750  00 

5,223,511  82 


Total $18,593,745  15 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $3,000,000  00 

Surplus  fund 400,000  00 

Undivided  profits 301,727  50 

Dividends  unpaid 75,450  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $7,294,175  23 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 872,138  13 

Certified  checks 148,928  70 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 16,064  09 

Due  to  other  National  banks 3,750,173  74 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers 2,735,087  76 

14,816,567  65 


Total $18,593,745  15 

SAMUEL  M.  NICKERSON,  Pres.         LYMAN  J.  GAGE,  Vice-Pres. 
HENRY  R.  SYMONDS,  Cashier. 


BANKING    AND    FINANCE.  21 

MERCHANTS'    NATIONAL   BANK 
OF  CHICAGO. 

SBPTEMBEK  30,  1884. 


RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $4,408,722  82 

Overdrafts 366  94 

U.  8.  bonds  to  secure  circulation  at  par 50,000  00 

U.  8.  bonds  on  hand  at  par 520,150  00 

Other  stocks,  bonds  and  mortgages 40,500  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $877,034  28 

Due  from  other  National  banks 512,737  81 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 35,985  01 

-  1,425,757  10 
Eeal  estate,  banking  house $125,000  00 

Other  real  estate..  34,362  18 

159,362  18 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House $211,048  46 

Bills  of  other  banks 496,443  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies,  1  65 

Specie  (gold  coin) 2,337,439  00 

Silver  coin 18,751  94 

Legal-tender  notes..  ..*>„  .   200,000  00 

-  3,263,684  05 
Redemption    fund   with  U.  8.   Treasurer  -(5   per  cent  of 

circulation) 2,250  00 

Due  from  U.  8.  Treasurer,  other  than  5  per  cent  redemption 

fund  ..  1,000  00 


Total) $9,871,793  09 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $500,000  00 

Surplusfund 500,000  00 

Undivided  profits 610,843  74 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $3,582,865  77 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 152,526  96 

Certified  checks 25,667  74 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 5,657  30 

3  7gg  717  77 

Due  to  other  National  banks $2,823,150  06 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers...  1,626,081  52  4,449,231  58 


Total $9,871,793  09 

C.  B.  BLAIR.  President.  JOHN  C.  NEELY,  Cashier. 


22 


CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 


COMMEECIAL   NATIONAL   BANK 
OF  CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBEB  30,  1884. 


EESOUECES. 

Loans  and  Discounts $4,014,926  65 

Overdrafts 1,358  96 

TJ.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation ..__ 50,000  00 

Other  stocks,  bonds,  and  mortgages 115,750  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $626,329  42 

Due  from  other  National  banks 230,688  14 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 59,513  89      916,531  45 

Keal  Estate 9,403  37 

Checks  and  other  cash  items 1,055  40 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 256,654  37 

Bills  of  other  banks . 211.963  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies,         542  71 

Specie 821,000  00 

Legal-tender  notes 700,000  00 

Redemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasury  (5  per  cent. 

of  circulation) 2,250  00 

Due  from  TJ.  S.  Treasurer,  other  than  5  per  cent. 

redemption  fund . .*...       3,00000    1,996,46548 

Total . $7,104,435  91 

LIABILITIES.. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $500,000  00 

Surplus  fund 500,000  00 

Undivided  profits 240,094  45 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $3,390,742  17 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 230,431  09 

Certified  checks 57,537  57 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 204,806  57 

Due  to  other  National  banks 915,138  82 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers  . . 1,020,685  24   5,819,341  46 

Total ; $7,104,435  91 

HENRY  T.  EAMES,  President.  GEO.  L.  OTIS,  Vice-President. 

FREDERICK  S.  EAMES,  Cashier. 


BANKING    AND    FINANCE.  23 

CHICAGO  NATIONAL  BANK, 

SEPTEMBER  30, 1884. 

RESOURCES. 
Loans  and  discounts. $1,668,616  81 

Overdrafts 2,539  81 

United  States  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

United  States  bonds  on  hand 100,000  00 

Otherstocks  and  bonds . 83,50000 

Premiums  paid 15,000  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $206,491  37 

Due  from  other  National  banks . .  167,719  04 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 22,253  41 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 141,173  65 

Bills  of  other  banks 51,200  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies,  83  42 

Specie 26,000  00 

Legal-tender  notes 255,000  00 

United  States  certificates  of  deposit  for  legal- 
tenders 300,000  00 

Redemption  fund  with  U.S  Treasurer  (5  per  cent. 

of  circulation) 2,250  00 

Due  from  U.  S.  Treasurer,  other  than  5  per  cent. 

redemption  fund..  8,000  00 

1,180,170  89 


Total $3,099,827  51 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $300,000  00 

Surplus  fund 60,000  00 

Undivided  profits 25,742  15 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $2,456,805  77 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 89,151  66 

Certified  checks 29,616  34 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 945  73 

Due  to  other  National  banks 49,628  95 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers  . .  42,936  91 

2,669,085  36 


Total $3,099,827  51 

DIRECTORS. 

F.  MADLENER.  J.  M.  ADS  IT.  ADOLPH  LOEB. 

ANDREW  McNALLY.       LEVI  ROSENFIELD.     J.  R.  WALSH. 


JOHN  R.  WALSH,  President.  H.  H.  NASH,  Cashier. 


24  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

CONTINENTAL   NATIONAL   BANK 
OF  CHICAGO, 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884. 


EESOUECES. 

Loans  and  discounts $4,032,979  42 

Overdrafts 2,179  56 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $285,646  00 

Due  from  other  National  banks 302,172  32 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 421,404  31 

-  1,009,222  63 

Real  estate,  furniture,  and  fixtures 11,471  61 

Current  expenses  and  taxes  paid 19,684  65 

Premiums  paid 12,000  00 

Checks  and  other  cash  items $572  94 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 460,308  08 

Bills  of  other  banks 172,958  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies.         472  67 

Specie 411,571  00 

Legal-tender  notes 453,958  00 

Redemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per 

cent  of  circulation) 2,250  00 


Total $6,639,628  56 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $2,000,000  00 

Surplus  fund 110,000  00 

Undivided  profits 54,250  40 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 44,500  00 

Dividends  unpaid 735  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $2,140,117  42 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 333,622  58 

Certified  checks 185,430  16 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 50,000  00 

Due  to  other  National  banks 1,079,584  77 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers 641,388  23 

4,430,143  16 


Total $6,639,628  56 


C.  T.  WHEELER,  President.  JOHN  C.  B.  BLACK,  Cashier. 


BANKING    AND    FINANCE.  25 


EESOUKCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $5,081,338  78 

Stocks  and  bonds _*_-_      149,356  25 

Due  from  National  banks 1,718,153  98 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 286,937  22 

Checks  and  cash  items 613  61 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 347,454  01 

Bills  of  other  banks 90,494  00 

Fractional  currency  and  nickels 119  93 

Gold  coin 206,93750 

Silver  coin 3,250  00 

Legal-tender  notes 610,000  00 

-  88,494,655  28 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $1,000,000  00 

Surplus  fund 1,000,000  00 

Undivided  profits 289,740  92 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check 5,440,623  32 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 68,473  65 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 623,873  92 

Due  banks  and  bankers 71,943  47 

$8,494,655  28 


B.  P.  HUTCHINSON.  S.  A.  KENT.  C.  L.  HUTCHINSON. 


C.  C.  SWINBOUENE,  Assistant  Cashier. 


26  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

METROPOLITAN   NATIONAL   BANK 
OF  CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884. 


EESOUKCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $1,294,217  18 

Overdrafts 2,484  35 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

Other  bonds,  at  cost 76,348  92 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $169,556  62 

Due  from  other  National  banks 108,239  04 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers. ..  _  137,245  23 

415,100  89 

Furniture  and  fixtures 5,500  00 

Current  expenses  and  taxes  paid 18,651  36 

Premiums  paid 6,447  35 

Checks  and  other  cash  items $    3,038  92 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 99,764  77 

BiUs  of  other  banks ^ 75,320  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies.         414  65 

Specie  (gold  coin) 183,845  00 

Legal-tender  notes 66,898  00 

Silver  coin .' 2,074  25 

Redemption  fund  -with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per 

cent  of  circulation) 2,250  00 

Due  from  U.  S.  Treasurer,  other  than  5  per  cent 

redemption  fund 5,000  00 

438,605  59 


Total $2,307,355  64 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $500,000  00 

Undivided  profits 47,056  21 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $829,416  96 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 80,173  75 

Certified  checks 23,615  04 

Cash  ier's  checks  outstanding 5,713  80 

Due  to  other  National  banks 165,842  69 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers  ..  .  610,537  19 

1,715,299  43 


Total $2,307,355  64 

ELBRIDGE  G.  KEITH,  Pres.  SAMUEL  A.  KEAN,  Vice  Pres. 


BANKING    AND    FINANCE.  27 

THE   UNION   NATIONAL   BANK 

OF  CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884 


EESOUECES. 

Loans  and  discounts $5,360,461  09 

Overdrafts 1,458  18 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

U.  S.  bonds  on  hand 146,300  00 

Other  stocks,  bonds,  and  mortgages 623,500  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents. $347,956  79 

Due  from  other  National  banks 169,532  06 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 164,427  41 

681,916  26 

Eeal  estate,  furniture,  and  fixtures 57,067  57 

Premiums  paid 15,848  01 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House $503,952  19 

BiUs  of  other  banks 68,000  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies,.         819  00 

Specie 619,400  00 

Legal-tender  notes 700,00000 

Bedemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per 

cent  of  circulation) 2,25000 

Due  from  U.  S.  Treasurer,  other  than  5  per  cent 

redemption  fund.. 25,000  00 

1,919,421  19 


Total $8,855,972  30 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $1,000,000  00 

Surplus  fund . 800,000  00 

Undivided  profits 210,743  35 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000,00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $4,070,291  64 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 56,344  31 

Certified  checks 111,135  86 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 180,142  89 

Due  to  other  National  banks 1,453,704  08 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers 928,610  17 

6,800,228  95 


Total $8,855,972  30 

W.  C.  D.  GHANNIS,  President.  JOHN  J.  P.  ODELL,  Cashier. 


28  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

NORTHWESTERN   NATIONAL   BANK 

OF  CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBEB  30,  1884. 


RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $1,632,040  28 

Overdrafts 1,58442 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 200,000  00 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  deposits 100,000  00 

U.  S.  bonds  on  hand 31,600  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $305,993  35 

Due  from  other  National  banks 98,406  20 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 71,649  26 

476,048  81 

Checks  and  other  cash  items $163  54 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 114,183  07 

Bills  of  other  banks 8,49200 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies  601  98 

Specie 160,340  25 

Legal-tender  notes 100,000  00 

Redemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (  5  per 

cent  of  circulation) 9,000  00 

392,780  84 


Total $2,834,054  35 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paidin._ $200,000  00 

Surplus  fund 50,000  00 

Undivided  profits 56,306  70 

National .  bank  notes  outstanding 171,400  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $1,599,680  30 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 46,387  15 

Certified  checks 29,319  92 

United  States  deposits 67,973  21 

Due  to  other  National  banks 399,682  69 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers 213,304  38 

2,356,347  65 


Total., $2,834,054  35 


GEORGE  STURGES,  President. 


BANKING   AND    FINANCE.  29 

NATIONAL  BANK  OF  AMERICA, 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884. 


BESOUKCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $2,300,894  73 

Overdrafts 1,093  56 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  deposits 100,000  00 

Other  stocks,  bonds  and  mortgages 71,000  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $379,935  52 

Due  from  other  National  banks _  115,754  56 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 22,558  04 

518,248  12 

Premiums  paid 25,312  50 

Checks  and  other  cash  items $3,434  90 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 137,117  01 

Bills  of  other  banks •_ 33,251  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies.  7  89 

Specie 163,397  50 

Legal-tender  notes 700,00000 

-  1,037,208  30 

Eedemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per  cent  of  circu- 
lation)  2,250  00 


Total $4,106,007  21 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $1,000,000  00 

Surplus  fund 140,000  00 

Undivided  profits 42,878  85 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000  00 

Dividends  unpaid 344  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check. . . $1,677,680  96 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 149,038  39 

Certified  checks 8,900  79 

United  States  deposits 64,941  27 

Due  to  other  National  banks 495,142  72 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers 482,080  23 

2,877,784  36 


Total _.v._- ;.._ $4,106,007  21 


ISAAC  G.  LOMBARD,  Pres.         EDWARD  B.  LATHROP,  Cashier. 


30  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

THE   NATIONAL    BANK   OF   ILLINOIS. 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884. 
EESOUECES. 


Loans  and  discounts . $4,020,922  42 

Overdrafts 13,454  15 

TJ.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,00000 

U.S.  bonds  on  hand,  at  par 260,800  00 

Other  stocks  and  bonds,  at  par 136,620  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $368,532  09 

Due  from  other  National  banks 114,901  10 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 62,805  18 

546,238  37 

Eeal  estate,  furniture  and  fixtures 24,743  58 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 292,310  15 

BiUsof  other  banks 75,400  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies,  158  04 

Specie 202,200  00 

Legal-tender  notes 516,480  00 

TJ.  S.  certificates  of  deposit  for  legal-tenders.-        40,000  00 

-  1,126,548  19 
Bedemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per 

cent  of  circulation) 2,250  00 


Total $6,181,576  71 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in ...$1,000,000  00 

Surplus  fund 300,000  00 

Undivided  profits 47,502  08 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000  00 

Dividends  unpaid 320  00 

Deposits  —Individual $3,925,670  68 

Deposits  — Banks _ _      863,083  95 

4,788,754  63 


Total $6,181,576  71 


GEO.  SCHNEIDEE,  President.    WILLIAM  A.  HAMMOND,  Cashier. 


BANKING   AND    FINANCE.  31 

HIDE   AND   LEATHEE  NATIONAL  BANK 
ON  CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBEK  30,  1884. 


RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $868,809  72 

Overdrafts 3,723  91 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 233,500  00 

U.  S.  bonds  on  hand,  4  per  cents 1,950  00 

Other  bonds  at  cost 19,124  44 

Diie  from  approved  reserve  agents $98,122  §0 

Due  from  other  National  banks 90,437  54 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 21,821  31 

210,381  65 

Premium  on  U.  S.  bonds,  paid 434  12 

Checks  and  other  cash  items $3,541  25 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 69,161  51 

Bills  of  other  banks 15,415  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies ._         70  07 

Specie  and  U.  S.  gold  certificates 244,300  00 

Legal-tender  notes 150,000  00 

U.  S.  certificates  of  deposit  for  legal  tenders 200,000  00 

Circulating  notes  of  this  bank  on  hand 500  00 

718,987  83 
With  U.  S.  Treasurer,  5  per  cent  redemption  fund 15.507  50 

Total $2,072,41917 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $300,00000 

Surplus  fund . 80,000  00 

Undivided  profits 29,71683 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 210,150  00 

Dividends  unpaid 6,076  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $1,210,546  83 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 25,726  23 

Certified  checks 38,950  58 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 8,842  08 

Due  to  other  National  banks 58,817  63 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers -  -     103,592  99 

1,446,476  34 

Total  ..  ...$2,072,419  17 


CHARLES  F.  GREY,  President. 


32  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

THE  HOME   NATIONAL   BANK 
OF  CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884 


EESOUBCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $364,523  51 

Overdrafts 16,270  33 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

U.  S.  bonds  on  hand .275,000  00 

Other  stocks,  bonds  and  mortgages 63,730  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $41,985  50 

Due  from  other  National  banks ._        23,693  58 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 23,727  81 

89,406  89 

Eeal  estate,  furniture  and  fixtures 5,277  02 

Current  expenses  and  taxes  paid 6,005  79 

Premiums  paid 29,270  00 

Checks  and  other  cash  items $2,764  08 

Exchanges  for  Clearing  House 19,879  35 

Bills  of  other  banks _        15,290  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies  35  81 

Specie 140,450  00 

Legal-tender  notes 65,000  00 

Redemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per 

cent  of  circulation) 2,250  00 

Due  from  TJ.  S.  Treasurer,  other  than  5  per 

cent  redemption  fund 1,000  00 

246,669  24 

Total $1,146,152  78 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $250,000  00 

Surplus  fund ...      100,000  00 

Undivided  profits ...       31,394  74 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 32,300  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $412,830  88 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 319,165  09 

Certified  checks 397  00 

Cashier's  checks  outstanding 65  07 

732,458  04 


Total $1,146,152  78 

ALBERT  M.  BILLINGS,  President.        GEO.  W.  FULLER,  Cashier. 


BANKING    AND    FINANCE.  33 

UNION  STOCK  YAED  NATIONAL  BANK 

OF  CHICAGO. 

SEPTEMBER  30,  1884. 


RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $1,105,854  22 

Overdrafts 7,540  10 

TJ.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 50,000  00 

Other  stocks,  bonds  and  mortgages 9,750  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents $316,286  43 

Due  from  other  National  banks 1 236,909  82     553,196  25 

Checks  and  other  cash  items 5,514  70 

Bills  of  other  banks 67,323  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies ..  99  24 

Specie . 27,875  52 

Legal-tender  notes 67,81100     168,62346 

Redemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per  cent  of  circu- 
lation           2,250  00 

Total..  ..$1,897,214  03 


LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $500,00000 

Surplus  fund 100,00000 

Undivided  profits 17,370  14 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 45,000  00 

Dividends  unpaid 15,000  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check $759,301  74 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 193,763  45 

Due  to  other  National  banks . 259,575  62 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers 7,203  08  1,219,843  89 

Total  ..  ...31397^214  03 


ELMER  WASHBURN,  President.     GEORGE  E.  CONRAD,  Cashier. 


34  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

ILLINOIS    TEUST   AND   SAVINGS    BANK, 
CHICAGO, 

AT  THE  CLOSE  OF  BUSINESS  JUNE  30,  1884. 


EESOUECES. 


United  States  bonds  at  par $500,350  00 

Premiums  on  same 29,881  52 

-  $530,231  52 

(Market  value  of  above) $589,418  25 

Other  bonds 512,25000 

Premiums  on  same 34,07450     546,32450 

Eeal  estate 33,754  44 

Cash  and  exchange 437,184  31 

Loans  on  demand 920,083  10 

Loans  on  time 756,215  80 

Loans  on  real  estate 411,379  41  2,087,678  31 


$3,635,173  08 


LIABILITIES. 


Capital  stock $500,000  00 

Surplus  fund 50,000  00 

550,000  00 
Undivided  profits 62,866  73 

Due  depositors 3,022,306  35 


$3,635,173  08 


JOHN  J.  MITCHELL,  President.  JAS.  S.  GIBBS,  Cashier. 


BANKING   AND   FINANCE.  35 

THE  DKOVEES'  NATIONAL  BANK 

OF  UNION  STOCK  YAEDS. 

SEPTEMBEB  30,  1884. 


RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $137,804  82 

Overdrafts 5,184  32 

U.  S.  bonds  to  secure  circulation 31,000  00 

Due  from  approved  reserve  agents 31,244  60 

Due  from  other  National  banks 42,779  50 

Due  from  State  banks  and  bankers 4,092  63 

Real  estate,  furniture  and  fixtures 10,000  00 

Current  expenses  and  taxes  paid 2,647  96 

Premiums  paid 1,000  00 

Checks  and  other  cash  items 438  55 

BiUs  of  other  banks 3,039  00 

Fractional  paper  currency,  nickels  and  pennies 12  62 

Specie 582  60 

Legal-tender  notes 8,000  00 

Redemption  fund  with  U.  S.  Treasurer  (5  per  cent  of  circula- 
tion)  1,395  00 

Total..  ..$279,221  60 


LIABILITIES. 

Capital  stock  paid  in $100,000  00 

Undivided  profits 14,784  85 

National  bank  notes  outstanding 27,900  00 

Individual  deposits  subject  to  check 92,651  79 

Demand  certificates  of  deposit 11,308  30 

Due  to  other  National  banks 15,580  57 

Due  to  State  banks  and  bankers . 16,996  09 

Total..  ..$279,22160 


S.  BRINTNALL,  President.  W.  H.  BRINTNALL,  Cashier. 


36  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

BANK  OF  MONTEEAL. 


Capital 812,000,000 

Surplus 5,000,000 


HEAD  OFFICE,  CHICAGO  BBANOH, 

MONTREAL,  CANADA.  WM.  MUNEO,  Manager. 


CANADIAN  BANK  OF  COMMEECE. 

Capital $6,000,000 

Surplus 2,000,000 


HEAD  OFFICE,  CHICAGO  BBANCH, 

TORONTO,  CANADA.  A.  L.  DE  WAB,  Agent 
HON.  WM.  MCMASTEK,  Pres. 
"W.  H.  ANDERSON,  Gen.  Manager. 


BANK  OF  BEITISH  NOETH  AMEEICA. 

Paid  up  Capital £1,000,000 

Or  $4,866,666 

Surplus"."". 981,129 


HEAD  OFFICES,  CHICAGO  BBANCH, 

LONDON,  ENGLAND.  H.  M.  BREEDON,  Agent. 

MONTREAL,  CANADA. 

R.  E.  GRINLEY,  Gen.  Manager,  residence,  Montreal,  Canada. 


BANKING   AND   FINANCE.  37 

PRESTON,    KEAN    &    CO. 

On  the  12th  of  May,  1884,  the  firm  of  Preston,  Kean  & 
Co.,  one  of  the  most  important  private  banking  houses  in 
the  country,  completed  the  organization  of  the  Metropolitan 
National  Bank,  and  transferred  their  deposit  accounts  to 
that  institution.  This  change  has  enabled  them  to  give 
undivided  attention  to  the  security  department  of  their 
business.  The  house  was  established  in  1860,  by  Mr.  S.  A. 
Kean,  and  is  consequently  just  about  a  quarter  of  a  century 
old.  During  this  long  period  they  passed  safely  through 
the  various  panics  and  times  of  serious  depression  in  busi- 
ness affairs,  as  well  as  through  the  great  fire,  without  suffering 
any  loss  beyond  the  distruction  of  their  office  furniture. 
Some  idea  of  the  great  extent  of  their  business  and  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  them  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  the  indi- 
vidual deposits  with  the  concern  amounted  at  one  time  to 
$2,500,000.  They  were  connected  with  the  first  government 
loan  issued  for  the  prosecution  of  the  recent  civil  war.  At 
the  time  of  the  rebuilding  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  they 
took  large  quantities  of  city  and  other  securities,  and  by 
placing  loans,  bonds  and  other  evidences  of  debt,  they  took 
an  active  part  and  lent  valuable  assistance  in  this  good 
work. 

The  firm  is  probably  the  oldest  one  in  the  West  in  the 
line  of  investment  securities ;  in  this  department  they  handle 
Government,  State,  City,  County  and  School  Bonds,  often 
taking  the  entire  issue,  of  bonds  by  cities  and  counties  for 
the  building  of  court-houses,  school-houses,  bridges  and 
other  local  improvements.  They  have  for  some  years  made 
a  specialty  of  Chicago  Car  Trusts,  which  certificates  draw 
six  per  cent  interest,  payable  quarterly.  These,  with  leading 
railroad  bonds  and  other  choice  investment  securities,  are 
handled  largely  by  them. 


38  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

During  the  whole  of  this  long  and  successful  financial 
career  the  interests  of  the  house  have  been  under  the  care  of 
Mr.  S.  A.  Kean,  and  the  intimate  knowledge  and  experience 
acquired  during  that  period  have  afforded  them  the  most 
ample  facilities  for  serving  the  interests  of  investors. 


SAFETY  DEPOSIT  COMPANIES. 


If  the  first  great  aim  and  effort  of  this  generation  is  to 
amass  a  fortune,  or  at  least  an  independence,  the  next  most 
important  problem  is  how  to  preserve  a  competency  once 
acquired.  In  the  highly  complicated  business  methods  of 
the  age,  the  ownership  of  fabulous  sums  is  often  evidenced 
by  titles,  bonds,  or  slips  of  paper,  which  may  be  carried  in 
the  pocket,  the  loss  or  destruction  of  which  would  be  some- 
times irremediable.  In  days  when  wealth  lay  almost  exclu- 
sively in  realty,  the  chief  concern  of  the  great  proprietor 
was  to  protect  his  property  from  the  open  assault  of  an 
adversary,  by  means  of  a  mooted  castle  and  a  legion  of 
mailed  retainers ;  his  only  apprehension  was  from  the  aggres- 
sion of  superior  numbers. 

To-day,  however,  all  this  is  changed,  and  wealth  is  threat- 
ened from  so  many  channels  that  it  is  scarcely  less  difficult 
to  preserve  than  to  acquire. 

Of  these,  the  most  dreaded  and  insiduous  are  fire  and 
burglary,  and  to  combat  them  successfully  has  heretofore 
required  the  most  watchful  and  unremitting  vigilance.  A 
common  office  safe  in  a  building  of  ordinary  construction  is 
now  recognized  as  no  serious  obstacle  to  the  ingenuity  of 
crime,  or  the  insatiable  violence  of  fire,  and  the  daring  of 
the  one  or  the  havoc  of  the  other  too  frequently,  in  a  single 
night,  renders  of  no  avail  the  labor  of  a  life,  and  transforms 
affluence  into  penury. 

Nor  is  this  the  only  danger  which  attends  the  possession 


40  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

of  wealth,  for  over  the  heads  of  the  fortunate  is  ever  impend- 
ing the  fear  of  midnight  raids  or  violence  and  death,  the 
burden  of  unremitting  responsibility,  and  the  haunting 
remembrance  that  the  custody  of  valuables  is  a  perpetual 
menace  to  the  lives  of  loved  ones:  "  Give  me  neither 
poverty  nor  riches"  came  more  sincerely  from  the  hearts  of 
men  in  days  when  to  be  poor  was  to  be  the  foot-ball  of  fortune 
and  to  be  rich  was  to  be  dogged  through  life  by  greed  and 
crime. 

But  now  in  Chicago  and  other  centers  of  civilized  life 
wealth  may  purchase  absolute  protection  and  an  entire  free- 
dom from  responsibility,  and  this  is  unquestionably  the 
greatest  advance  in  this  direction  achieved  during  the 
present  century.  This  is  accomplished  through  the  various 
safe  deposit  companies,  chartered  corporations  with  capital 
sufficient  to  guarantee  the  depositor  against  all  loss,  and 
who  in  the  construction  of  their  vaults  have  spared  no 
expense,  and  called  into  requisition  the  best  scientific  and 
mechanical  skill  in  the  world. 

Following  will  be  found  a  detailed  account  of  these  insti- 
tutions in  Chicago: 


THE    NATIONAL    SAFE    DEPOSIT    COMPANY. 

The  National  Safe  Deposit  Company,  with  its  fire  and 
burglar  proof  vaults,  possesses  all  the  necessary  appurten- 
ances for  the  prompt,  convenient  and  safe  transactions  of 
this  business — a  structure  unsurpassed  in  character  and 
completeness  by  any  building  for  a  similar  purpose  in  the 
country,  rents  safes  in  its  vaults,  with  combination  locks, 
or  locks  that  can  be  opened  only  with  the  keys  held  by  the 
renters;  receives  for  safe-keeping,  under  guarantee,  valu- 
ables of  all  descriptions,  such  as  Coupons,  Registered  and 


SAFETY    DEPOSIT    COMPANIES.  41 

other  Bonds,  Certificates  of  Stock,  Deeds,  Mortgages,  Wills, 
Coin,  Plate,  Jewelry;  also,  Clothing  and  other  personal 
effects — assuming  the  fullest  liability  imposed  by  law. 

Safes  of  all  desirable  sizes,  built  inside  of  the  absolutely 
Fire  and  Burglar  Proof  Vaults  of  this  Company,  afe  rented 
at  $5  to  $50  each  per  annum.  The  largest  safe?  have  Com- 
bination Locks. 

The  vaults  are  lighted  with  the  Western  Edison  Incan- 
descent Light.  The  locks  to  these  Safes  are  all  different, 
and  are  changed  with  every  change  of  renter.  Each  Safe 
has  within  it  one  or  more  Tin  Boxes  or  Cases,  in  which  to 
place  the  valuables  deposited,  under  lock  and  key,  held  by 
the  renter.  These  Boxes  or  Cases  are  not  to  be  opened 
within  the  vault,  but  must  be  removed  to  an  adjoining  room, 
fitted  up  with  desks,  screens,  etc.,  where  the  owner,  in  per- 
fect seclusion  and  privacy,  can  examine  his  securities,  cut 
off  coupons,  etc. 

A  renter  wishing  to  visit  his  safe  must  be  identified  by 
the  Safe-keeper,  who  will  always  accompany  him  into  the 
Vault.  Any  renter  may,  at  his  option,  appoint  a  deputy  to 
act  in  his  stead ;  but  in  case  of  his  death,  no  one  but  his 
legal  representative,  duly  authorized,  can  be  permitted  to 
have  access  to  his  safe — in  order  that  the  interests  of  heirs 
may  be  completely  protected. 

For  the  accommodation  of  Ladies  who  may  become  Safe- 
renters,  special  provision  is  made;  and  separate  apartments 
are  fitted  up  for  their  exclusive  use,  with  toilet  room  adjoin- 
ing. 

Special  accommodations  are  also  provided  for  committees 
and  officers  of  Insurance  Companies  and  other  corporations, 
whereby  an  examination  of  securities  can  be  made  without 
the  trouble  and  risk  of  removing  the  same  from  the  Deposit 
Vaults  to  and  from  their  offices. 

A  married  woman  may  make  a  deposit  in  her  own  name, 


42  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

deliverable  to  herself  only,  or  otherwise,  as  she  may  direct. 
A  full  record  is  made  on  the  books  of  the  company,  giving  a 
description  in  detail  of  each  deposit,  and  a  certificate  is  given 
containing  a  similar  description  of  the  items  deposited. 
This  Certificate  must  be  presented  on  application  for  the 
withdrawal  of  any  part  of  the  deposit. 

Strangers  visiting  the  city  and  having  in  their  possession 
money  or  valuables,  will  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  deposit 
the  same  for  safe-keeping  with  this  company. 

Residents  in  the  country  or  surrounding  cities,  having 
no  safe  deposit  facilities,  wishing  to  deposit  bonds  or  valu- 
ables with  this  Company,  may  send  them  through  any 
reliable  Express  Company,  who  will  be  responsible  for  their 
safe  delivery,  and  obtain  a  certificate  of  deposit  for  the  same 
as  may  be  directed.  Correspondence  on  this  subject  is 
solicited,  and  the  most  explicit  information  will  be  given.  It 
is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  loss  of  such  securities  as  Cou- 
pon Bonds  is  irreparable;  they  can  not  be  replaced.  No 
recourse  can  be  had  against  the  party  issuing  them,  any 
more  than  for  lost  bank-notes.  If  stolen  and  sold,  the  law 
will  protect  the  innocent  holder  in  possession. 

In  Registered  Securities,  even,  the  owner  is  almost  inva- 
riably put  to  considerable  trouble,  delay  and  expense,  and 
in  addition  required  to  file  a  bond  of  indemnity,  with 
approved  sureties,  before  recovering. 

First,  of  one  large,  thoroughly  fire-proof  room,  sur- 
rounded by  walls  of  heavy  masonry,  and  roofed  by  corru- 
gated arches,  heavily  covered  with  cement,  which  rest  upon 
numerous  columns  of  sufficient  strength  to  support  a  "moun- 
tain's weight."  The  size  of  this  stronghold  is  30x54  feet, 
and  is  devoted  to  the  storage  of  plate,  pictures,  trunks  of 
value,  and  all  other  valuable  property  needing  protection 
against  fire  and  thieves. 

Second,  two  large  vaults,  each  10x28  feet  in  size.     The 


SAFETY    DEPOSIT    COMPANIES.  43 

walls  of  these  vaults  are  of  hard  masonry,  three  feet  thick. 
They  rest  upon  solid  foundations,  which  reach  to  depths 
below ;  are  both  lined  with  2^  inches  of  steel  and  iron,  so 
tempered  and  put  together  as  to  defy  drill  and  chisel.  In 
addition,  the  top  is  protected  by  a  double  course  of  railroad 
iron  bars,  over  which  again  strong  arches  of  brick  and  iron 
spread  their  protecting  arms. 

Each  vault  is  provided  with  two  doors  of  solid  welded 
iron  and  hardened  steel  plates,  aggregating  seven  inches  in 
thickness,  each  door  being  protected  by  two  combination 
locks  of  the  finest  character.  They  are  further  guarded  by 
the  new  chronometer  or  Time  Locks.  These  are  placed  on 
the  inside  of  the  doors  and  act  automatically,  locking  the 
bolts  the  moment  the  doors  are  closed,  rendering  it  impos- 
sible for  any  one  (however  well  acquainted  with  the  com- 
bination locks)  to  open  the  doors  until  business  hours  the 
following  day. 

The  main  entrance  to  the  Safe  Depository  is  from  Dear- 
born Street,  just  north  of  the  large  main  entrance  to  the 
building  above.  On  entering  the  street  door,  one  finds 
himself  confronted  by  a  strongly-grated  barrier,  which  an 
attendant  will  open  to  the  properly  qualified  visitor  only. 
An  entrance  from  the  bank  floor  above  is  similarly  guarded. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  the  most  inventive  genius  to 
devise  more  effectual  means  for  guarding  securities  and  val- 
uables from  fire  and  thieves  than  are  furnished  in  the  build- 
ing, vaults,  and  police  regulations  of  this  Company. 

The  unparalleled  increase  of  burglary  and  theft,  and  the 
skill,  ingenuity  a'nd  success  with  which  they  are  now  pur- 
sued, render  the  absolute  security  provided  by  this  Company 
a  prime  necessity  of  modern  times. 

The  officers  are  F.  D,  Gray,  President;  Lyman  J.  Gage, 
Treasurer,  and  O.  D.  Ranney,  Superintendent. 


44  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

•^ 

THE    COMMERCIAL    SAFETY    DEPOSIT    COMPANY. 

The  Commercial  Safety  Deposit  Company  was  organized 
to  meet  a  growing  public  necessity,  by  providing  an  abso- 
lutely safe  deposit  for  valuables,  and  as  it  is  confined  by  its 
charter  solely  to  this  business,  it  can  not  be  regarded  as  an 
appendage  to  other  interests. 

Its  fire  and  burglar  proof  vaults  are  centrally  located  at 
the  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Monroe  streets,  rest  on  eight 
feet  of  granite,  and  are  so  walled  and  roofed  by  steel,  con- 
crete, stone  and  brick,  as  to  render  them  as  nearly  fire  and 
burglar  proof  as  the  ingenuity  of  man  can  make  them. 

The  "strong  room"  is  guarded  by  the  heaviest  metal  doors 
ever  made ;  are  double  and  doubly  secured  with  combination 
and  chronometer  locks.  The  apartment  is  thirty  feet  square, 
and  contains  ten  thousand  separate  safes  for  the  use  of  renters, 
under  their  absolute  control,  and  accessible  only  to  them  or 
their  duly  appointed  deputies.  These  safes  are  also  double 
locked,  one  key  or  combination  being  given  to  the  renter, 
and  the  other  remaining  with  the  custodian  of  the  vaults, 
who  must  personally  recognize  the  renter  before  assisting 
him  to  open  his  safe;  thus  securing  absolute  privacy  of 
papers,  together  with  absolute  safety. 

Besides  the  "  strong  room,"  there  are  other  apartments 
in  which  the  renter  can  examine  his  papers  or  securities  in 
perfect  seclusion,  or  transact  such  business  as  he  may  find 
desirable,  and  these  advantages,  we  may  add,  are  all  obtain- 
able for  $5  a  year  and  upwards. 

The  company  embraces  among  its  officers  and  directors 
some  of  the  most  prominent  capitalists  in  the  West,  having 
at  its  head  Mr.  George  C.  Otis,  and  Messrs.  F.  S.  Eames,  I. 
Foster  Rhodes  and  Samuel  Powell  for  Treasurer,  Secretary 
and  Manager,  while  in  addition  to  these  the  corps  of  d  rec- 
tors includes  such  well-known  names  as  C.  B.  King,  N.  K. 
Fairbank,  James  W.  Ferry  and  W.  K.  Nixon. 


SAFETY  DEPOSIT  COMPANIES.  45 

THE  MERCHANTS'  SAFE  DEPOSIT  COMPANY. 

The  Merchants'  Safe  Deposit  Company,  which  is  in  the 
same  building  with  the  Merchants'  National  Bank,  affords  the 
most  perfect  security  for  valuables  of  every  description, 
surpassing  for  absolute  safety  any  on  this  continent.  The 
vaults  are  built  on  four  and  one  half  feet  of  solid  masonry, 
and  protected  by  a  seven  inch  steel  casing,  which  envelops 
the  whole  place.  For  massiveness  and  strength,  these  vaults 
are  unsurpassed,  while  they  are  further  secured  by  double 
combination  and  the  latest  improved  time  locks,  and  guarded 
by  vigilant  armed  watchmen,  day  and  night.  The  safes  are 
rented  by  the  company  at  prices  that  make  them  easily 
available  to  all  who  have  valuables  of  any  nature  that  they 
wish  to  place  in  a  secure  place ;  the  rent  varying  according 
to  the  size  of  the  safe  required,  from  $5  per  annum 
upwards.  The  company  has  also  great  facilities  for  the 
storage  of  trunks,  packages  of  silver,  paintings,  etc. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are  C.  B.  Blair,  President, 
and  C.  J.  Blair,  Treasurer. 


THE    FIDELITY    SAFE    DEPOSIT    COMPANY. 

The  pioneer  of  the  safe  deposit  companies  now  doing 
business  in  this  city  is  the  Fidelity,  located  at  No.  143 
Randolph  street. 

It  was  established  in  June,  1871,  and  was  fairly  started 
with  a  paying  number  of  depositors  at  the  time  of  the  great 
fire,  October  9th,  1871.  Then  it  proved  its  value;  while 
other  vaults,  long  looked  upon  as  the  most  secure,  were 
either  entirely  destroyed  or  so  much  damaged  as  to  allow 
their  contents  to  be  ruined,  the  valuables  entrusted  to  the 
care  of  the  Fidelity  were  protected  in  its  vaults  without  the 
loss  of  a  single  article,  proving  that  their  construction  was 
based  upon  sound  scientific  principles.  Nor  is  fire  the  only 


46  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

destroying  element  against  which  they  guard ;  the  insidious 
bank  robber  and  burglar  may  open  safes,  in  fact  safe  manu- 
facturers are  willing  to  admit  that  they  are  unable  to  keep 
much  in  advance  of  these  light  fingered  gentry  in  the  con- 
struction of  absolutely  burglar  proof  safes,  but  the  Fidelity 
Safe  Deposit  Co.'s  vaults  cannot  be  robbed.  The  walls  are 
constructed  of  brick  (a  material  which,  unlike  iron  or  stone, 
will  withstand  the  fircest  flames)  while  interbuilded  are  six 
steel  plates,  each  protected  by  air  chambers,  and  absolutely 
impenetrable ;  the  doors  are  among  the  heaviest  ever  con- 
structed, with  the  most  improved  locks,  both  time  and  com- 
bination. While  night  and  day  armed  custodians  constantly 
guard  and  protect  the  property  of  their  clients. 

Even  in  case  the  city  were  given  over  to  the  mercies  of  a 
mob,  the  vaults  would  withstand  all  attacks  for  such  a  period 
as  would  insure  its  suppression,  even  if  it  were  necessary 
to  summon  a  force  from  either  border  of  the  continent. 

The  Fidelity  is  largely  patronized  by  professional  men, 
merchants  and  others,  also  a  number  of  ladies,  who  find  at 
its  rooms  a  safe  and  convenient  opportunity  to  transact 
business  involving  the  handling  of  large  sums  of  money  or 
securities  of  value. 

Its  safes  rent  at  from  $5  to  $50  per  year,  accord- 
ing to  size  and  location,  all  being  equally  well  protected, 
but  some  being  of  more  easy  access  by  the  depositor. 

It  has  a  special  vault  for  the  storage  of  trunks,  pictures, 
silverware,  and  other  bulky  and  valuable  articles. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are  Matthew  Laflin,  Presi- 
dent; Van  H.  Higgins,  Treasurer;  both  among  our  best 
known  capitalists,  and  men  who  have  done  much  to  build  up 
many  of  the  financial  institutions  of  our  city ;  Robert  Boyd, 
Manager,  to  whose  supervision  the  practical  management  of 
the  business  is  entrusted. 


REAL  ESTATE. 


"  What  a  beneficent  provision  of  Providence,"  said  a 
gentleman  celebrated  among  other  things  for  getting  the 
cart  before  the  horse,  "  that  noble  rivers  should  always  flow 
through  the  greatest  cities."  That  this,  however,  is  all  but 
universally  the  case,  will  readily  be  seen  by  a  glance  at  the 
map.  Nevertheless,  the  instances  are  few  indeed  in  which 
the  site  of  a  city  has  been  deliberately  chosen  with  fore- 
thought of  its  needs  and  confidence  in  its  ultimate  destiny. 

Night  falls  upon*  a  pioneer,  and  he  pitches  his  tent  by 
the  edge  of  a  crystal  brook;  winter  overtakes  him,  and  he 
builds  the  first  rude  cabin  on  the  banks  of  an  impassable 
river ;  a  block-house  rises  where  the  mouth  of  a  stream  offers 
harbor  for  tiny  crafts,  and  how  little  the  settler  dreams 
that  he  has  laid  the  corner  stone  of  a  mighty  city.  Yet 
railroads  meet  and  cross  upon  the  boundless  prairies,  the 
breast  of  the  broad  river  bears  the  produce  of  empires  to 
the  markets  of  the  world,  and  the  fort  by  the  inland  ocean 
becomes  the  center  of  commercial  activity,  the  nucleus  of 
an  unforeseen  metropolis,  the  goal  of  a  thousand  channels  of 
traffic,  the  great  throbbing  heart  of  a  continent. 

Thus  it  has  ever  been.  Men  call  it  chance,  this  chain  of 
cause  and  effect  which  plants  a  village  in  one  place  rather 
than  another;  yet  with  a  clearer  appreciation  of  the  laws 
which  control  its  growth,  they  ascribe  to  rightful  causes  the 
development  of  the  city  from  the  town.  "  But  why,"  say 
others,  "  did  no  one  foresee  the  future  greatness  of  Chicago? 

47 


48  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

Even  in  early  days  capital  came  here  seeking  investment 
only  to  return  to  the  foot  of  the  lake,  or  push  on  further 
westward."  The  answer  to  this  is,  that  such  foresight  could 
only  have  been  based  on  a  more  exact  geographical  knowl- 
edge of  the  country  than  any  one  at  that  time  possessed ;  the 
fertility  of  the  soil,  the  vastness  of  its  productive  area,  the 
course  of  rivers,  and  the  trend  of  mountain  barriers,  with 
their  influence  on  future  railway  lines.  It  would  have 
involved  a  knowledge  of  the  phenomenal  development  of  our 
country  which  has  amazed  the  most  sanguine,  and  added  a 
new  chapter  to  the  possibility  of  National  growth ;  it  would 
have  involved  an  appreciation  of  the  causes  which  have  con- 
spired to  pour  the  millions  of  Europe  upon  our  shores. 

Then  too,  some  of  the  far-sighted  settlers  of  Chicago 
had  even  in  early  days  dim  visions  of  its  destiny.  Men  ridi- 
culed the  faith  which  led  them  over  a  thousand  miles  of 
wilderness,  to  invest  the  limited  capital  of  that  period  in  a 
low-lying,  unproductive,  Indian  haunted  swamp ;  but  who  in 
those  years  could  conceive  the  tremendous  vigor  of  Chicago 
enterprise  which  has  drained  the  marsh,  built  even  the 
ground  on  which  to  rear  her  marble  palaces,  and  along  miles 
of  shore  pushed  back  the  billows  of  the  tossing  lake. 

This  has  been  the  record  of  fifty  years;  this  has  been 
accomplished  while  the  old  world  capitals  have  gained  or 
lost  some  petty  thousands  in  population.  Little  wonder  that 
thoughtful  foreigners  come  to  our  country  with  Niagara  and 
Chicago  as  their  prime  objective  points — the  boiling  chan- 
nel through  which  one  chain  of  land-locked  oceans  seek  the 
sea ;  the  gate  through  which  a  million  miles  of  prairie  pour 
their  products  upon  the  markets  of  the  world. 

But  further  retrospection  would  be  idle ;  the  mission  of 
Chicago  is  no  longer  problematical,  it  has  become  a  matter 
of  history ;  the  question  for  our  consideration  now  is  not  the 
origin  or  causes  of  her  progress  in  the  past,  but  the  ultimate 
limits  of  her  future  growth. 


REAL    ESTATE.  49 

The  rise  in  the  value  of  real  estate  has  hitherto  been 
unparalleled.  Is  there  reason  to  anticipate  a  continued 
advance?  Are  colossal  fortunes  still  awaiting  the  shrewd 
investor  in  city  and  suburban  lands? 

In  the  first  place,  Chicago  is  adding  to  her  population  at 
a  rate  which  has  already  rendered  the  census  returns  of  1880 
a  third  too  small;  new  industries  are  continually  springing 
up,  or  are  attracted  hither  from  the  less  progressive  cities, 
while  every  year  extends  the  area  of  country  from  which  our 
city  draws  support,  and  adds  new  channels  of  communication 
to  her  vast  confluence  of  railway  lines. 

The  business  center  of  Chicago,  now  occupied  by  the 
principal  mercantile  houses  of  this  city,  rebuilt  since  the  fire 
in  the  most  elaborate,  convenient  and  artistic  manner,  has 
gained  for  itself  a  widespread  reputation,  and  should  be 
classed  as  belonging  to  the  most  substantial  and  profitable 
realty  of  the  United  States.  When  men  from  New  York, 
Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania  and  other  Eastern  States  come 
here  to  invest  their  unemployed  capital,  it  speaks  loudly  in 
favor  of  this  wonderful  center  of  commerce,  and  indicates  its 
superiority  as  a  place  of  investment  over  the  older  Eastern 
cities.  A  consideration  of  the  rental  of  some  of  our  largest 
business  blocks  will  show  an  annual  return  of  from  eight  to 
ten  per  cent  on  a  fair  valuation  now  of  the  property  occu- 
pied. 

Chicago  real  estate  has  proven  during  the  past  thirty 
years,  as  compared  with  all  other  subjects  of  investment  or 
places  of  deposit,  the  best,  and  ultimately  the  safest.  This 
assertion  will  commend  itself  to  the  minds  of  all  who  think 
calmly  of  the  utter  and  entire  loss,  without  any  resulting 
benefit  to  anyone  else,  sustained  by  so  many  who,  during 
that  period  of  time  have  been  dealing  in  stocks,  bonds, 
merchandise,  shipping,  manufacturing,  and  other  business, 
which  it  is  possible  to  wipe  out  and  destroy,  leaving  nothing 
4 


50  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

at  all  to  show  for  their  original  investment,  or  to  rise  again 
as  real  estate  always  does,  no  matter  how  low  it  may  go  in 
dark  times.  In  other  words,  the  material  or  subject  matter 
in  which  a  real  estate  investor  places  his  money  is  not  capa- 
ble of  utter  destruction,  and  hence  its  value  can  never  be 
wholly  destroyed. 

As  a  rule  real  estate  does  advance  in  value.  The  natu- 
ral growth  of  all  towns  and  cities  does  pay  at  least  a  moder- 
ate interest  in  the  advance  of  the  value  of  the  real  property, 
especially  that  not  immediately  in  the  centers  of  them,  where, 
as  the  towns  or  cities  increase  in  size,  the  property  changes 
from  its  acre  value  to  the  lot  or  foot  value,  while  that  cen- 
trally located  has,  during  the  time  spoken  of,  been  paying 
annually  a  revenue  greater  or  less,  according  to  circum- 
stances. No  rule  can  be  given  as  to  which  is  the  better 
investment,  central  or  marginal  property.  Experience  varies 
in  individual  cases,  hence  opinions  differ.  Scarcely  any 
better  illustration  can  be  given  of  the  adage  as  to  the  pay- 
ment of  your  money  and  the  taking  of  your  choice. 

The  record  of  the  past  year  has  been  unprecedented  in 
the  history  of  cities.  Not  even  the  year  following  the  great 
fire,  when  the  entire  energy  of  the  stricken  city  was  devoted 
to  rebuilding,  can  compare  with  the  phenomenal  activity  of 
1883.  Suburbs  were  pushed  out  in  every  direction;  the 
prairie  has  been  sprinkled  with  beautiful  villages,  and 
traversed  by  belt  and  railway  lines,  and  so  great  an  impetus 
has  been  given  to  building,  that  it  is  only  the  possibility 
of  indefinite  expansion,  and  the  thousands  of  acres  of  cir- 
cumjacent lands  equally  good,  and  save  for  the  increased 
distance  from  the  business  center,  equally  desirable,  which 
has  kept  the  price  of  unimproved  realty  down  to  its  present 
reasonable  and  relatively  low  figure. 

The  plain,  unvarnished  statement  that  during  the  year 
just  past,  86,000  feet  of  street  and  avenue  frontage  were 


REAL    ESTATE.  51 

covered  with  buildings,  seems  almost  incredible,  yet  such  is 
the  fact;  3,204  permits  for  structures  valued  at  $22,000,000, 
palatial  homes,  suburban  villas,  huge  manufactories,  and 
magnificent  business  blocks  ten  and  eleven  stories  in  height, 
have  risen  as  by  the  magic  of  Aladdin's  lamp,  and  this 
advance  has  been  made,  in  spite  of  the  widely  prevalent  and 
persistent  bricklayers'  strike,  by  which  contractors  were  ter- 
ribly hampered  in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  A  glance  at 
the  statistics  shows  that  the  great  "West  Division  of  the  city, 
the  home  of  the  people,  has  gained  more  roofs  than  both  the 
North  and  South  Divisions  combined.  The  aggregate  of 
transfers  in  building  lots  has  also  been  largely  in  excess  of 
former  years,  while  the  transactions  involving  acres  have 
proved  a  surprise  to  the  best  informed.  That  these  sales 
show  a  continuous  advance  on  the  prices  of  the  year  before, 
is  of  course  in  the  nature  of  things,  and  in  accordance  with 
the  development  of  the  city,  by  which  the  farms  of  five  years 
ago  have  been  dotted  with  cottages,  and  the  suburbs  of  to-day 
will  be  covered  with  business  blocks  within  another  half 
decade. 

The  monthly  installment  plan  has  of  late  become  popular 
.with  the  masses  of  the  provident  working  classes,  who  are 
thus  enabled  to  earn  an  attractive  home  with  the  savings 
which  in  other  years  barely  sufficed  to  pay  their  rent  in  the 
most  crowded  undesirable  portions  of  the  city.  Of  the  op- 
portunities thus  offered,  the  laboring  classes  are  availing 
themselves  so  extensively  as  to  amaze  even  the  most  san- 
guine projectors  of  the  plan.  By  this  means  the  villages 
of  Moreland,  Auburn,  Douglas  Park,  Lawndale,  Chicago 
Lawn  and  others,  have  been  called  into  existence,  and  the 
coming  season  will  witness  the  erection  of  as  many  more. 

Of  late  the  vast  accumulation  of  material,  lumber,  brick 
and  stone,  has  decreased  the  cost  of  building  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  per  cent.  This  has  of  course  given  an  impetus 


52  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

to  construction,  while  the  suggestion  that  at  no  distant 
day  action  may  be  taken  as  in  some  European  cities  to 
limit  the  height  of  business  blocks,  has  resulted  in  the 
securing  in  advance  of  a  large  number  of  building  per- 
mits since  there  is  a  steadily  growing  preference  among 
capitalists  for  office  or  business  blocks  as  the  most  perma- 
nent and  profitable  investment.  In  addition  to  the  phe- 
nomenal development  of  the  West  Division,  equally  marked 
tendencies  of  growth  have  been  noted  in  other  portions 
of  the  city.  The  splendid  Board  of  Trade  building  now 
nearly  completed,  will  infallibly  shift  a  few  blocks  south 
the  grain,  produce  and  speculative  business  of  the  city; 
while  the  South  Side,  growing  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  per 
year  promises  to  become  eventually  the  habitat  of  the  wealth 
of  Chicago. 

The  Chicago  Heal  Estate  Board  was  incorporated  in 
1843  by  William  L.  Pierce,  William  A.  Merigold  and  Ed- 
ward A.  Cummings,  and  has  numbered  about  one  hundred 
members,  which  includes  many  of  our  most  prominent  bro- 
kers and  agents,  and  through  this  membership  indirectly 
controls  a  large  proportion  of  the  real  estate  transactions 
of  the  city.  Its  object,  as  its  name  implies,  is  to  provide 
facilities  for  agents  to  meet  and  discuss  matters  pertaining 
to  real  estate  affairs,  and  to  furnish  to  each  other  information 
on  all  points  regarding  real  estate  in  Chicago;  and  thus 
afford  facilities  to  transact  business  to  better  advantage,  by 
uniting  on  matters  which  pertain  to  the  common  interest. 

The  Board  has  of  late  taken  much  interest  in  the  laws 
regulating  the  assessment  and  collection  of  taxes,  and  is 
doing  all  in  its  power  to  establish  a  Board  of  Assessment, 
public  in  its  character,  and  which  shall  assess  property  at  a 
more  uniform  rate  than  is  now  followed. 

We  give  the  names  of  some  of  the  prominent  real  estate 
firms  who  are  members  of  the  Board: 

Barnard,  M.  R,  95  Clark  Street. 


REAL    ESTATE.  53 

Barnes  &  Parish,  157  LaSalle  Street.  Rents  collected, 
estates  managed  and  taxes  paid  for  non-residents,  real 
estate  bought  and  sold  in  all  parts  of  the  city  and  country; 
also,  farm  property. 

Cummings,  E.  A.  &  Co.,  Madison  Street,  corner  LaSalle. 

Gehr,  Saml.,  114  Dearborn  Street;  has  been  engaged  in 
business  here  since  1853,  making  a  specialty  of  placing  large 
loans  for  capitalists  on  improved  real  estate  in  Chicago. 

Goodman,  Jas.  B.  &  Co.,  68  Washington  Street.  Dealers 
in  city  and  country  property,  timber  lands  and  stumpage, 
iron  lands  and  iron  mining  options  and  leases. 

Goodwin,  Horace  A.,  99  Randolph  Street.  Real  estate 
bought  and  sold  on  commission,  estates  managed,  rents  col- 
lected, taxes  paid  and  special  attention  given  to  the  interests 
of  non-residents. 

Hyde,  A.  D.,  126  Dearborn  Street.  Makes  a  specialty 
of  collecting  rents,  etc.  for  non-residents. 

Hyman,  R.  W.,  Jr.  &  Co.,  184  Dearborn  Street.  Real 
estate  and  loans. 

Isham  &  Prentice,  55  Dearborn  Street.  Agents  for  the 
care  and  management  of  real  estate. 

Knight  &  Marshal,  97  Clark  Street.  Real  estate,  loans, 
renting,  etc. 

Lyman  &  Giddings,  101  Washington  Street.  Real 
estate  bought  and  sold,  mortgages  negotiated  and  estates  for 
non-residents  carefully  managed. 

Mead  &  Coe,  149  LaSalle  Street.  Real  Estate  Agents; 
mortgages,  loans  and  collections. 

Morey,  H.  C.  &  Co.,  85  Washington  Street.  Established 
1852.  Especial  attention  paid  to  the  management  of  estates 
and  property  of  non-residents.  Mr.  Morey  is  President  of 
the  Real  Estate  Board. 

Pierce  &  WTare,  143  LaSalle  Street.  Refer  to  First 
National  Bank. 


54  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

Snow  &  Dickinson,  97  Washington  Street.  Real  estate 
bought  and  sold  on  commission,  mortgage  loans  effected, 
rents  collected,  estates  managed,  taxes  paid  and  the  interests 
of  non-residents  and  local  owners  carefully  secured.  Mr. 
Snow  was  formerly  of  the  firm  of  H.  C.  Morey  &  Co. ;  Mr. 
Dickinson  with  F.  B.  Peabody  &  Co. 

Snyder,  Thomas  D.  &  Co.,  87  Dearborn  Street.  Mr. 
Snyder  has  been  engaged  in  business  for  the  past  thirty- 
one  years.  The  firm  makes  a  specialty  of  large  tracts  of 
lands  suitable  for  the  location  of  towns  or  manufacturing 
villages. 

SUBURBAN    PROPERTY. 

An  important  feature  of  the  real  estate  interest  of  Chi- 
cago is  represented  in  suburban  property,  affording  as  it 
does  special  facilities  for  factory  sites  and  residences,  and 
comprising  property  that  is  yearly  increasing  in  value  with 
the  development  of  the  city. 

FACTORY    SITES. 

The  advantages  of  Chicago  as  a  manufacturing  center, 
render  the  purchase  of  ground  for  this  purpose  an  import- 
ant item  in  the  real  estate  market.  Mr.  Nelson  Thomasson 
is  one  of  the  prominent  operators  in  this  line,  and  refers  to 
the  leading  bankers  and  financiers  of  Chicago.  He  has 
many  large  acre  tracts,  with  railroad  facilities  in  every  direc- 
tion around  Chicago,  on  which  he  can  locate  factories  of  any 
size,  and  for  any  purpose;  in  many  instances  the  land  for 
the  factory  will  be  donated  as  an  inducement  to  build.  In 
addition  to  factory  sites,  he  has  a  large  number  of  factory 
buildings  for  sale  at  merely  nominal  figures.  He  has  also 
boulevard  and  park  property  for  residences,  which  afford  an 
excellent  field  for  investment. 

TIMBER   AND    IRON    LAND. 

A  large  business  is  also  transacted  in  Chicago  in  iron 
and  timber  land,  although  at  the  present  time,  owing  to  the 


EEAL    ESTATE.  55 

large  over  production  of  metal,  the  first  named  is  not  in 
active  demand.  Full  information  in  regard  to  lands 
throughout  the  entire  Northwest  can  be  obtained  here, 
saving  the  travel  to  different  parts  of  the  country,  owners 
recognizing  the  advantages  of  having  their  lands  placed  for 
sale  in  this  financial  center. 

James  B.  Goodman  &  Co.  deal  largely  in  this  class  of 
property,  and  in  addition  to  their  Chicago  offices,  have  agents 
at  every  point  throughout  the  iron  and  timber  section  of  the 
West,  thus  keeping  them  fully  posted  as  to  all  lands  of  this 
class  placed  in  the  market  for  sale. 

SUBURBAN   LOTS   WITH   CITY   FACILITIES. 

Chicago's  nearest  suburb  is  the  property  of  the  "West 
Chicago  Land  Co.,  and  adjoins  the  western  city  limits,  lying 
between  Madison  and  Kinzie  streets,  just  west  of  Central 
Park.  The  Madison  street  horse  cars  run  to  it.  The  West- 
ern Dummy  Railroad  runs  through  it,  and  the  Galena  divis- 
ion of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Eailroad,  running  twenty 
trains  daily,  has  two  stations  upon  it.  The  Western  Indiana 
Belt  Line  Railroad  also  runs  through  it. 

Being  outside  the  city  limits,  wooden  houses  are  per- 
mitted. Fifty  houses  were  built  there  in  1883.  The  large 
range  of  this  subdivision  affords  property  suitable  for  high 
or  low  priced  residences,  mercantile  business,  and  for  manu- 
facturing. The  property  is  handled  by  M.  A.  Farr,  agent, 
68  Washington  street. 

CUYLEE. 

Cuyler,  situated  on  the  Northwestern  Railway,  where  a 
new  depot  has  just  been  constructed  at  a  cost  of  $2,000, 
built  by  owners  of  real  estate  in  that  vicinity,  is  one  of 
Chicago's  most  healthy  suburbs.  It  is  in  close  proximity  to 
Graceland  where  is  situated  the  celebrated  Graceland 


56  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

Cemetery  and  the  High  School.  It  enjoys  the  very  decided 
advantage  of  being  of  easy  access  to  the  city,  by  both  steam 
and  horse-cars,  and  is  rapidly  growing  into  popular  favor. 
Among  the  larger  property  owners  is  Mr.  Bryan  Lathrop, 
President  of  the  Graceland  Cemetery  Co.,  who  has  charge  of 
that  company's  property  at  Graceland,  which  is  coming  into 
demand  for  residences,  and  who  also  has  charge  of  150 
acres  at  Eiver  Forest,  belonging  to  Mr.  J.  H.  Lathrop. 
About  forty  sales  have  been  made  for  actual  improvement, 
and  as  soon  as  the  water-pipe  sewers  are  completed  houses 
will  be  erected. 

The  advantages  of  the  lake  front  as  residence  property, 
cannot  be  over-estimated,  it  being  in  contradistinction  to  the 
south  of  Chicago,  high,  dry,  and  healthy. 

CHICAGO  LAWX. 

Chicago  Lawn,  as  a  residence  section,  is  surpassed  by 
none.  It  lies  to  the  southwest  from  the  city  proper,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  E.  E.,  at  63d  street.  This  location 
secures  for  it  a  pure  air,  uncontaminated  by  the  smoke  and 
exhalations  from  the  great  city,  for  the  reason  that  the  pre- 
vailing winds  in  summer  are  from  the  southwest.  This 
advantage  with  many  home  seekers  will  be  decisive.  It  lies 
quite  high,  with  excellent  drainage  in  two  directions ;  streets 
are  already  graded,  trees  planted,  and  sidewalks  built. 
Good  schools  and  churches  are  easily  accessible,  and  a 
special  k>  church  train"  is  run  every  Sunday  to  Chicago.  It 
has  an  excellent  soil  for  gardens,  and  is  already  occupied  by 
many  American  families.  Society  is  already  established, 
and  social  intercourse  provided  for  by  literary  and  musical 
societies.  Titles  are  simply  perfect,  with  no  danger  of 
subsequent  cloud  or  shadow  arising  to  invalidate  them. 
Above  all  things,  lots  are  cheap;  so  cheap  that  they  offer 
one  of  the  best  opportunities  in  the  West  for  permanent 
investment.  Lots  are  sold  for  $200,  and  they  can  be  paid 


REAL    ESTATE.  57 

for  in  $5  monthly  payments.  The  principal  owner  of  lots 
is  Mr.  John  F.  Eberhart,  the  well  known  real  estate  dealer, 
at  161  LaSalle  street,  Room  75. 

FERNWOOD. 

Fernwood,  eleven  miles  south  of  Chicago,  is  one  of  our 
most  accessible,  as  well  as  desirable,  residence  suburbs, 
situated  in  close  proximity  to  three  railway  lines,  the 
Chicago  &  Eastern  Indiana,  the  Rock  Island,  and  the  Pan 
Handle;  commutation  fares  have  been  kept  down  to  a 
minimum  rate,  and  every  facility  is  offered  for  speedy  trans- 
portation. 

Great  improvements  have  been  made  in  the  past  two 
years ;  forty-three  houses  have  been  built ;  Tracy  avenue,  the 
leading  thoroughfare,  has  been  paved,  and  street  cars  will 
shortly  be  introduced ;  add  to  this  good  schools  and  churches, 
and  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  Fernwood  is  most  desirable 
as  a  residence  suburb,  and  also  offers  unexceptional  facilities 
to  capitalists  seeking  for  sites  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
The  subdivision  was  made  by  Mr.  E.  L.  Gillette,  with  whom 
is  associated  as  agent  Mr.  S.  Montgomery  Smith,  the  city 
office  being  located  at  142  Dearbon  street 

This  property  was  among  the  first  to  be  put  upon  the 
market  on  the  installment  plan,  by  which  a  man  can 
purchase  a  home  for  from  $1,250  to  $2,500,  and  pay  for  it 
in  monthly  payments,  not  more  than  would  be  required 
ordinarily  by  owners  for  rent  of  similar  premises ;  which 
plan  has  proved  a  decided  success,  and  considerable  property 
still  remains  at  Fernwood,  to  be  disposed  of  on  the  same 
terms. 

HAMMOND. 

Hammond  is  a  typical  manufacturing  town  of  the  cele- 
brated Calumet  region,  situated  twenty  miles  from  Chicago, 
on  the  Calumet  River. 

Its  growth  is  phenomenal,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  follow- 
ing comparative  tables: 


58  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

1870.  1883. 

Population 25  3,300 

Capital  invested  for  business  purposes $5,000  82,218,000 

Number  of  dwellings 6  564 

Value $2,000  $  665,000 

Value  of  manufactured  product $20,000,000 

The  river  is  now  being  improved  to  a  point  one-half 
mile  east  of  Hammond,  the  principal  obstructions,  which 
will  be  wholly  removed  being  below  Hammond,  at  which 
point  the  river  is  deep,  the  channel  is  wide,  and  the  banks 
receding,  affording  a  most  excellent  harbor,  with  superior 
facilities  for  building  docks,  of  which  about  1,000  feet  have 
been  constructed,  and  more  is  in  process  of  completion. 

Hammond  is  on  the  line  of  the  following  roads: 

Chicago  &  Atlantic,  New  York,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis, 
Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chicago,  Michigan  Central,  and 
the  Western  Indiana  Belt  Line,  thus  affording  an  oppor- 
tunity for  the  shipment  of  manufactured  products,  unsur- 
passed by  any  other  settlement  in  the  Calumet  district,  and 
giving  direct  communication  with  all  the  large  coal  mining 
sections  of  the  country. 

The  land  is  high,  dry,  and  with  a  sandy  soil  that  greatly 
facilitates  building. 

The  government  of  the  town  has  been  conducted  on  an 
exclusively  economical  scale;  as  a  consequence  assessments 
are  few  and  taxes  small.  The  following  large  establish- 
ments are  located  there: 

Geo.  H.  Hammond  &  Co.,  shippers  of  fresh  beef  and 
packers. 

Tuttle  Spring  Co.,  wagon  and  carriage  springs. 

M.  M.  Towle  Distilling  Co. 

Hammond  Lumber  Co. 

Stein,  Hirsh  &  Co.,  manufacturing  chemists. 

This  concern  was  established  twenty  years  ago  and  has 
also  a  large  factory  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 


REAL    ESTATE.  59 

They  are  manufacturers  of  albumens,  starch,  gum,  dextrin 
and  agricultural  chemicals.  A  considerable  portion  of  their 
manufactured  product  is  exported. 

Mr.  James  N.  Young,  79  Dearborn  street,  is  largely 
interested  in  Hammond  real  estate,  and  corporations  or 
individuals  desirous  of  locating  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Chicago,  can  obtain  from  him  the  fullest  information  as  to 
the  most  elegible  sites. 

D.  L.  Morgan  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  at 
Hammond;  he  has  large  tracts  of  land  for  sale  and  is  partic- 
ularly interested  in  selling  residence  sites.  These  he  dis- 
poses of  on  the  popular  installment  plan,  so  that  by  the 
payment  of  an  amount  not  exceeding  the  rental  of  a  comfort- 
able house,  a  person  may  soon  be  the  owner  of  a  pleasant 
and  healthfully  located  home  of  his  own. 

EVANSTON. 

Evanston  is  undoubtedly  the  most  charming  suburb 
fo  Chicago,  for  here  is  combined  the  quiet  and  repose  of  the 
country,  with  most  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from 
a  residence  in  the  city. 

Situated  but  twelve  miles  from  the  city  on  the  North- 
western Railway,  it  is  reached  in  about  the  same  length  of 
time  as  is  required  to  travel  from  the  central  or  business  por- 
tion of  the  city  to  the  outskirts  by  street  cars,  and  with  unex- 
celled railway  accommodations-running  twenty  trains  per  day 
each  way— comutation  rates,  $6.50  per  month,  and  with  a  new 
line  about  completed,  which  will  be  opened  for  travel  in 
the  spring,  it  is  little  wonder  that  it  has  so  increased  in 
population,  that  it  is  to-day  counted  the  wealthiest  suburb  on 
the  Northwestern  Eailroad.  There  are  no  manuf acturies  in 
its  limits  with  their  attendant  smoke,  noise  and  bustle,  but 
its  streets  are  carefully  laid  out,  with  a  superior  sewerage 
system  that  defies  malaria  and  the  other  endless  ills  of 


60  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

suburban  towns.  Sidewalks  are  laid,  along  which  are  planted 
thrifty  shade  trees,  while  water  and  gas  pipes  supply  the 
inhabitants  with  those  necessities.  The  associations  of  the 
town  are  such  as  to  attract  only  the  better  class  of  residents, 
the  consequence  of  which  is  that  the  inhabitants  are  a  moral 
and  prosperous  community,  most  of  whom  own  their  own 
homes,  and  rum  drinking  and  its  attendant  evils  are  banished. 
No  liquor  is  allowed  to  be  sold  in  the  village,  and  its  taxes 
are  comparatively  low. 

Here  is  located  the  great  Northwestern  University,  the 
largest  theological  seminary  in  the  West;  a  dozen  or  more 
churches,  a  bank,  good  schools,  first-class  stores,  and  two 
excellent  hotels. 

The  Avenue  House,  on  the  main  street,  which  was  built 
by  Dr.  Charles  H.  Quinlan,  and  is  managed  by  Quinlan 
Brothers,  has  a  frontage  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet, 
and  contains  over  one  hundred  rooms,  affording  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year  the  very  best  accommodations  for  guests,  and 
during  the  summer  months  offering  a  pleasant,  healthful 
and  accessible  home  for  many  Chicago  families. 

All  who  are  interested  in  Evanston  property,  and  who 
desire  to  obtain  the  fullest  information  regarding  it,  should 
call  on  or  correspond  with  Mr.  John  Culver,  No.  87  Wash- 
ington street,  Chicago. 


WASHINGTON  PAKK  CLUB. 


The  Washington  Park  Club  was  organized  in  January, 
1883,  having  for  its  objects  the  providing  of  a  club  house 
and  pleasure  grounds  for  the  entertainment  of  its  members, 
where  at  all  times  they  may  meet  for  social  intercourse ;  and 
further  to  encourage,  by  providing  the  proper  facilities, 
raising,  improving,  breeding,  training  and  exhibiting  horses 
at  meetings  to  be  held  at  stated  times  each  year.  How  well 
and  successfully  the  intentions  of  the  promoters  of  the 
association  have  been  carried  out,  is  demonstrated  to-day  in 
its  possession  of  the  most  beautiful  park,  most  elegant  club 
house,  and  the  finest  racing  track  in  America. 

The  organization  of  this  club  marked  an  important  epoch 
in  the  turf  annals  of  Chicago,  bringing,  as  it  does,  into 
direct  and  active  connection  with  the  management  of  racing 
matters,  a  class  of  gentlemen  who  have  never  heretofore 
been  prominently  identified  with  turf  sports.  It  is  with  the 
turf  as  it  is  with  politics ;  if  its  character  is  to  be  improved, 
men  of  high  character  and  standing  must  take  hold  of  it, 
and  not  merely  stand  back  and  deprecate  its  shortcomings. 
To  show  that  the  future  of  high-class  turf  sports  in  Chicago 
is  in  good  and  safe  hands,  we  have  only  to  point  to  the  fol- 
lowing list  of  stockholders  and  officers,  among  whom  will  be 
found  gentlemen  of  national  reputation  in  military,  commer- 
cial and  social  circles: 

61 


62 


CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 


THE  STOCKHOLDERS. 


Ackennan,  William  K. 
Allen,  Charles  W. 
AUerton,  Samuel  "W. 
Alexander,  Elijah  S. 
Allbright,  William  B. 
Andrews,- William  B. 
Baker,  William  T. 
Barker,  Samuel  B. 
Barnes,  Charles  J. 
Beman,  Solon  S. 
Bigelow,  Anson  A. 
Blair,  Lyman. 
Blair,  Watson  F. 
Borden,  William. 
Bowles,  Joseph  B. 
Boynton,  Wallace  W. 
Brega,  Charles  W. 
Brewster,  John  E. 
Bullen,  George. 
Bullen,  William  H. 
Burke,  Michael. 
Gary,  Eugene. 
Christoph,  Henry  J. 
Chumasero,  John  T. 
Clapp,  Ozro  W. 
Cooley,  Henry  H. 
Cole,  Cyrus  E. 
Comstock,  William  C. 
Converse,  Amasa  R. 
Cratty,  Thomas. 
Crawford,  Andrew. 
Cudahy,  John. 
Cudahy,  Michael. 
Cummings,  Columbus  R. 
Cummings,  Robert. 
Davis,  Richard  L. 
Dexter,  Wirt. 
Doane,  John  W. 
Dodge,  George  E.  P. 
Dunham,  Ransom  W. 
Dupee,  Horace  M. 
Dupee,  John,  Jr. 
Dwight,  John  H. 


Kent,  Sidney  A. 
Kern,  Charles. 
Kimball,  William  W. 
Kirkwood,  Thomas  S. 
Kirkwood,  William. 
Laflin,  George  H. 
Leiter,  Levi  Z. 
Leith,  Alexander  J. 
Lester,  John  T. 
Linn,  William  R. 
Linn,  Winfield  S. 
Love,  James  M. 
Lyon,  John  B. 
Macfarland,  Henry  J. 
Mair,  Charles  A. 
Marks,  Clarence  W. 
Marsh,  Eben  J. 
McAvoy,  John  H. 
Meeker,  Arthur  B. 
Merrick,  Levi  C. 
Moulton,  Byron  P. 
Munger,  Albert  A. 
Murdoch,  Thomas. 
Nelson,  Ephriam. 
Nelson,  Murry. 
Nichols,  Melville  S. 
Norton,  J.  Henry. 
Oakley,  James  W. 
Palmer,  Potter. 
Parkes,  John  C. 
Peasley,  James  C. 
Pickering,  Albert  D. 
Pickering,  Philander. 
Pullman,  George  M. 
Ream,  Norman  B. 
Rew  Henry  C. 
Richards,  Joseph  R. 
Roche,  Owen  H. 
Roloson,  Robert  W. 
Rozet,  George  H. 
Rust,  Henry  A. 
Ryerson,  Martin. 
Ryerson,  Martin  A. 


WASHINGTON    PARK    CLUB. 


63 


THE 

Eames.  Frederick  S. 
Eldredge,  Isaac. 
Ellsworth,  James  W. 
Fairbank,  Nathaniel  K 
Field,  Marshall. 
Fisher,  Archie  J. 
Fisher,  James  K. 
Fisher,  Lucius  G.,  Jr. 
Foreman,  Henry  G. 
Gage,  Albert  S. 
Gage,  Eliphalet  B. 
Geddes,  Alexander. 
Getty,  Henry  H. 
Gillette,  James  F. 
Glass,  Victor  K. 
Goodman,  James  B. 
Gore,  George  P. 
Grannis,  William  C.  D. 
Hamill,  Charles  D. 
Harding,  George  F. 
Harvey,  Joel  D. 
Hayden,  Albert. 
Henderson,  Charles  M. 
Henderson,  Wilbur  S. 
Hesing,  Washington. 
Hibbard,  William  G. 
Hoffman,  George  W. 
Holmes,  Ira. 
Howe,  Charles  T. 
Howard,  William  B. 
Hull,  Morton  B. 
Hunt,  James  A. 
Huston,  Albert  C. 
Hutchinson,  Charles. 
Ingraham,  Granville  S. 
Irwin,  David  W. 
Jeffery,  John  B. 
Jenks,  Anson  B. 
Jones,  Nathaniel  S. 


STOCKHOLDERS. 

Sackett,  Edward  B. 
Sears,  Joseph. 
Seipp,  William  C. 
Schwartz,  Charles. 
Sheridan,  P.  H.,  Lieut.  Gen. 
Sherman,  Frank  T. 
Singer,  Charles  J. 
Smith,  Byron  L. 
Smith,  George. 
Smith,  Peter. 
Spalding,  Jesse. 
Spalding,  Samuel  G. 
Spruance,  Harmon. 
Stager,  Anson. 
Stauffer,  Benjamin  F. 
Stearns,  Marcus  C. 
Stinson,  James. 
Sweet,  Samuel  H. 
Tabor,  Ernest  W. 
Thompson,  Corwin  C. 
Tufts,  Eugene  L. 
Ullman,  Daniel. 
Van  Inwagen,  James. 
Waixel,  Isaac. 
Walsh,  John  R. 
Walker,  Wirt  D. 
Warren,  Robert. 
Warner,  Henry  D. 
Washburn,  Edward  S. 
Watson,  Amasa  B. 
Wells,  Moses  D. 
Wells,  Thomas  E. 
Wheeler,  George  H. 
Wheeler,  Hiram. 
White,  Charles  B. 
Wilmarth,  Henry  M. 
Wolford,  Jacob  A. 
Yerkes,  Charles  T.,  Jr. 
Young,  Otto. 


64  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  CLUB. 

LIEUT.  GEN.  P.  H.  SHERIDAN,  President. 
NATHANIEL  K.  FAIEBANK,  Vice  President. 
SAMUEL  W.  ALLERTON,          "  " 

JOHN  W.  DOANE,  "  " 

ALBERT  S.  GAGE,  "  " 

JOHN  R.  WALSH,  Treasurer. 
JOHN  E.  BREWSTER,  Secretary. 


BOAED  OF  DIRECTORS. 

Lieut.  Gen.  P.  H.  Sheridan.  John  Dupee,  Jr. 

Nathaniel  K.  Fairbank.  George  H.  Rozet. 

Samuel  W.  Allerton.  Thomas  Cratty, 

Columbus  R.  Cummings.  Charles  Schwartz. 

John  R.  Walsh.  Watson  F.  Blair. 

Albert  S.  Gage.  Potter  Palmer. 

Henry  J.  Macfarland.  Martin  A.  Ryerson. 

Morton  B.  Hull.  John  H.  Dwight. 

John  W.  Doane.  Samuel  H.  Sweet. 

Anson  Stager.  George  H.  Wheeler. 

James  Van  Inwagen.  Charles  B.  White. 

Charles  D.  Hamill.  John  E.  Brewster. 

The  club's  property  consists  of  eighty  acres,  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Sixty-first  street,  on  the  east  by  Cottage  Grove 
avenue,  on  the  south  by  Sixty-third  street,  and  on  the  west 
by  South  Park  avenue.  Lying,  as  it  does,  midway  between 
Woodlawn  and  Englewood,  it  is  accessible  by  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  Pittsburgh  &  Fort  Wayne  Railroad,  Michi- 
gan Southern  Railroad,  and  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad, 
besides  from  its  contiguity  to  West  South  Park  by  both 
Grand  and  Drexel  boulevards,  and  the  Hyde  Park  street 
railway.  The  land  has  a  gentle,  natural  slope  from  the  east 
and  north,  twelve  feet  above  city  datum  in  elevation  to  the 
west  and  south,  allowing  a  feature  acceptable  to  all  turfmen, 
viz:  A  track  of  gentle  up  and  down  grade,  which  is  con- 
sidered faster  than  a  dead-level  run.  The  grand  stand  is 
back  from  the  course  a  hundred  feet,  and  combines  in  its 
completeness  the  sloping  lawn  features  so  popular  at  Sheeps- 


WASHINGTON    PARK    CLUB.  65 

head  Bay  and  the  commodious  appointments  of  Jerome  Park, 
together  with  its  basement  privileges.  Perfect  accommoda- 
tion for  turfmen  is  afforded — stables  of  the  most  approved 
style,  thoroughly  drained  and  ventilated.  For  the  members 
commodious  sheds;  for  the  public  a  park  that  combines  all 
the  best  features  of  the  accepted  racing  centers  of  the  United 
States.  The  management  has  considered  rapid  and  com- 
plete surface  drainage  first,  and  all  else  has  to  subserve  that 
most  important  end.  The  track  has  many  of  the  features  of 
the  popular  Saratoga  course,  although  wider,  and  having  on 
the  same  grounds  a  practice  track,  resembling  in  that  respect 
the  course  at  Louisville.  The  home  and  back  stretches  have 
a  length  of  1,414  feet,  the  turns  1,226  feet,  thus  affording 
longer  straight  runs  than  the  stereotyped  method  of  having 
stretches  and  turns  of  equal  length.  The  widths  are :  Home- 
stretch, 85  feet;  backstretch,  70  feet;  turns,  65  feet.  Imme- 
diately inside  of  the  course  proper,  and  separated  from  it  by 
a  ten-foot  drainage  sod  space,  is  the  practice  track,  forty 
feet  in  width,  which  is  constructed  with  the  same  care  as 
the  track  itself. 

In  three-quarter  mile  dashes  it  has  formerly  been  an 
objection  that  the  horses  were  started  on  the  mile  course  at 
too  great  a  distance  from  spectators.  To  obviate  this  is  a 
diagonal  "  shoot "  similar  to  that  at  Saratoga,  which  allows 
a  start  near  the  wire,  and  directly  in  front  of  the  grand 
stand  and  club  house. 

The  steeplechase  has  been  so  arranged  that  the  water- 
jumps  occur  over  natural  lake-necks,  a  feature  unknown  on 
any  course  in  this  country.  The  awkward  artificial  water- 
jumps  now  in  vogue  are  not  only  unnatural  in  appearance, 
but  do  not  acquaint  the  horse  with  the  presence  of  water 
until  at  its  brink.  The  property  is  inclosed  with  a  partially 
open  fence,  which,  in  a  measure,  foreshadows  the  liberal 
policy  of  the  club,  affording,  as  it  does,  an  opportunity  for 
the  passing  public  to  enjoy  the  beauty  of  its  grounds. 


66  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

The  stables  are  of  peculiar  interest  to  horse  owners,  and 
a  mention  of  some  of  the  important  improvements  made  in 
this  direction  will  be  found  of  interest.  There  are  500 
stalls,  each  12x14  fest  in  size,  and  10  feet  high  in  the  clear; 
the  stalls  are  grouped  variously  from  five  to  thirty  under 
one  roof,  so  that  exclusive  accommodation  can  be  furnished 
according  to  the  number  of  horses  to  be  provided  for. 
Especial  care  is  taken  to  render  these  stables  in  the  highest 
degree  healthful  and  convenient.  The  highest  point  of 
ground  has  been  selected  as  the  site  of  the  stables,  thus 
insuring  the  most  thorough  drainage  and  freedom  from 
dampness,  while  each  stall  is  ventilated  by  large  transoms  in 
the  front  and  rear,  and  from  the  interior  in  every  case  is 
constructed  a  large  ventilating  flue  opening  above  the  roof. 
Hydrants  yielding  pure  lake  water  are  placed  in  front  of 
each  stable ;  fences  divide  and  separate  the  buildings,  with 
a  liberal  allowance  of  ground  set  apart  for  each,  and  a  porch 
ten  feet  in  width  supplies  shade  and  shelter.  Secretary 
Brewster,  who  has  made  a  close  study  of  this  feature  of 
race  track  equipment  upon  every  prominent  course  in  Amer- 
ica, has  given  especial  attention  to  the  Washington  Park 
stabling,  and  is  determined  that  in  respect  of  comfort  and 
healthfulness  to  the  valuable  horses  quartered  therein  these 
stables  shall  far  surpass  anything  known  in  the  country. 

The  club  house  itself  is  a  beautiful  structure,  and  in  its 
architectural  design  and  the  perfection  of  its  interior  arrange- 
ments it  surpasses  anything  of  the  kind  that  has  been  pro- 
jected in  the  United  States.  It  is  127  feet  long  by  75  feet 
deep,  comprising  two  stories  and  an  attic,  and  having  a  bal- 
cony 18  feet  wide  extending  around  each  story ;  the  hall- 
ways are  20  feet  wide.  The  cafe,  exclusively  for  the  use  of 
gentlemen,  is  33  feet  wide  by  75  feet  long,  and  upstairs  is  a 
magnificent  room  of  the  same  dimensions  used  as  the  ladies' 
assembly  ro:>ui.  Th^:e  are  also  ladies"  reception  rooms  and 


WASHINGTON    PARK    CLUB.  67 

parlors,  and  fourteen  private  sitting  rooms.  Fifty-six  thou- 
sand dollars  were  expended  upon  the  building  itself,  while 
the  cost  of  furnishing  entailed  an  outlay  of  $20,000  more. 

The  grand  stand  is  a  perfect  structure,  and  affords  ample 
.seating  capacity  for  10,000  people.  It  is  so  arranged  that 
each  person  when  seated  has  an  unobstructed  view  of  the 
passing  horses  from  their  hoofs  to  the  jockey's  cap. 

The  gentlemen  identified  with  the  management  of  this  club 
.are  determined  to  make  it  not  alone  the  equal,  but,  so  far  as 
abundance  of  money  and  the  experience  and  ability  to  use  it 
judicially  can  do  it,  the  superior  of  any  racing  park  organi- 
zation in  America.  It  is  proposed  to  do  for  the  citizens  of 
Chicago  what  the  Jerome  and  Coney  Island  Clubs  have  done 
for  New  York  and  the  Pimlico  for  Baltimore.  These  clubs, 
like  the  Washington,  are  in  the  hands  of  some  of  the  best 
and  most  influential  business  men,  and  are  managed  in  such 
manner  as  to  furnish  a  fine  retreat  for  members  and  their 
friends  at  all  times,  and  give  the  public  the  very  best  enter- 
tainment and  sport  during  meetings. 

Chicago's  importance  as  a  racing  center  is  now  so  uni- 
versally recognized  that  an  enterprise  of  the  splendor  and 
magnitude  of  the  Washington  Park  Club  will  command  the 
attention  and  good- will  of  the  leading  horse-owners  and  of 
the  lovers  of  turf  sports  everywhere.  The  race  meeting  last 
June  was  one  of  the  most  successful  ever  given  in  this  coun- 
try, and  the  arrangements  already  made  for  the  coming 
season  warrant  the  assurance  that  it  will  be  the  most  brilliant 
on  record.  The  value  of  the  stakes  and  the  large  amount 
of  money  added  by  the  club  have  tempted  entries  from  oil 
parts  of  America. 


GRAIN. 

The  day  has  gone  by  when  a  single  city  can  exercise  a 
control,  permanent  and  exclusive,  over  any  branch  of 
business;  economic  conditions  change  from  time  to  time, 
influences  inconsiderable  one  year,  become  important  factors 
in  the  next,  and  the  prodigious  development  of  the  country, 
its  industrial  and  transportation  facilities,  continually  baffle, 
forecast,  and  revolutionize  supply  and  demand.  To  this 
general  rule  there  is,  however,  a  number  of  important 
exceptions  chief  among  which  is  that  branch  of  trade  which 
we  are  now  considering,  and  the  undisputed  supremacy  of 
Chicago.  For  this  there  is  a  reason,  simple,  briefly  stated  and 
convincing:  that  is,  the  vastness  of  its  tributary  area  of 
producing  lands.  Thirty  years  ago  Buffalo  commanded  the 
grain  trade  of  the  country;  a  little  later,  Toledo,  a  more 
Western  out-post,  received  in  her  capacious  elevators  the 
commerce  of  all  the  lakes,  while  but  a  few  years  elapsed 
before  the  center  of  population  and  cultivated  land,  shifted 
towards  the  Mississippi  Valley,  leaving  to  still  more  Western 
cities  the  struggle  for  pre-eminence. 

The  world  knows  in  whose  favor  this  contest  was  soon 
and  decisively  ended;  indeed  it  could  not  have  been  other- 
wise, since  Chicago,  lying  on  the  shortest  railway  lines,  and 
water  way  to  the  Eastern  seaports,  is  the  natural  market  for 
the  broadest  grain-producing  territory  on  this  continent, 
and  has  facilities  for  handling,  storing  and  marketing  prod- 
uce, beyond  all  question,  unequaled  in  the  world. 

68 


GEAIN.  69 

During  the  year  just  past,  the  grain  transactions  in  this 
city  have  been  enormous,  almost  beyond  precedent. 

The  receipts  of  flour  and  grain,  exceeding  168,000,000 
bushels,  are  the  largest  ever  recorded,  while  the  shipments, 
amounting  to  over  145,000,000  bushels,  were  equaled  only 
by  the  phenominal  out-put  of  1880.  Even  in  the  smaller 
grains  the  crop  returns  were  so  large,  that  they  were  forced 
of  necessity  to  seek  Chicago,  no  other  city  offering  adequate 
facilities  for  their  storage  and  marketing. 

In  this  connection,  it  is  not  easy  to  overestimate  the 
influences  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  which  was  the  first  com- 
mercial institution  in  the  country  to  establish,  and  apply  a 
system  of  grading  to  cereal  products.  It  met  with  such 
success  that  it  has  since  been  copied  over  the  entire  country, 
and  in  1872  was  formally  adopted  by  the  Legislature  of 
our  State,  since  which  time  its  provisions  have  been  carried 
out  by  officials  acting  under  State  authority,  known  as  the 
Board  of  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commissioners.  It  also 
established  rates  of  commission  for  receiving  and  selling 
grain,  vastly  facilitating  business  transactions,  and  the 
speedy  adjustments  of  disputes,  while  inculcating  higher 
principles  of  equity  in  trade. 

The  growth  of  the  body  from  its  organization  in  1848, 
with  eighty-two  members,  until  the  present  day,  when  having 
reached  nearly  two  thousand,  its  membership  is  practically 
restricted,  is  one  of  the  most  significant  chapters  in  the  his- 
tory of  Chicago.  From  its  birth,  in  the  third  story  of  a 
narrow  building  in  La  Salle  street,  it  has  moved  from  place 
to  place,  seeking  ever  more  commodious  quarters,  while  it  is 
just  on  the  eve  of  entering  the  most  magnificent  structure 
in  the  world  devoted  to  commercial  purposes,  have  all  but 
completed,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $1,700,000. 

Of  late  years,  the  grain  market  has  proved  very  attractive 
to  the  speculative  element  of  the  country,  and  the  Board  of 
Trade  plan,  recently  adopted,  wherein  it  is  declared  to  be 


70  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

the  intention  of  the  contracting  parties,  to  tender  or  receive 
the  property  which  is  the  subject  of  the  transaction,  has- 
been  beneficial  in  checking  reckless  operators. 

Many  of  the  most  prominent  firms  here  have  greatly 
enlarged  their  facilities  for  filling  orders.  Branch  houses 
have  been  established  in  leading  cities,  and  private  telegraph 
connections  with  the  principal  Eastern  and  Western  markets 
are  now  so  common  as  to  excite  no  comment,  while  banking 
facilities,  and  for  negotiating  foreign  exchange,  are  also- 
equal  to  those  of  any  Eastern  market. 

The  Chicago  Grain  Receivers'  Association,  is  as  its  name 
implies,  composed  of  those  members  of  the  Board  of  Trade 
who  are  the  direct  receivers  of  grain.  It  has  for  its  object 
the  mutual  protection  of  its  members,  and  the  correction  of 
such  errors  and  abuses  as  may  arise  in  the  general  course  of 
trade,  in  which  they  are  interested.  This  includes  a  general 
supervision  of  all  rules  relative  to  grading,  warehousing,  or 
handling  in  any  way,  by  the  different  freight  lines  engaged 
in  transporting  it  to  and  from  the  city.  It  numbers  about 
200  members,  and  is  entirely  distinct  from  the  speculative 
element  of  the  board.  Its  officers  are:  George  M.  How, 
President;  George  H.  Sidwell,  Yice-President ;  A.  M.  Hen- 
derson, Treasurer;  H.  H.  Carr,  Secretary. 

The  following  table  shows  the  total  receipts  and  ship- 
ments of  grain  of  all  kinds  for  the  past  ten  years,  and  flour 
reduced  to  wheat,  in  bushels: 

RECEIPTS.  SHIPMENTS. 

1875.' 81,087,302 72,369,174 

1876 '..  97,735,482 87,241,306 

1877 94,416,399 90,706,076 

1878 134,086,595 118,675,469 

1879 137,704,571 125,528,379 

1880 165,855,370 154,377,115 

1881 ...146,807,329 140,307,597 

1882 126,155,483 114,864,933 

1883 164,924,732 141,720,259 

1884  Estimated 168,-000,000 145,000,000 


GRAIN. 


71 


The  following  statement  shows  the  capacity  of  elevator 
warehouses,  for  the  storage  of  grain  in  the  City  of  Chicago, 
with  the  rate  of  storage ; 


NAME  OF   ELEVATOR. 

PBOPBIETOBS. 

CAPACITY 
BUSHELS. 

Central  Elevator  A 

J.  &  E.  Buckingham 

1,000,000 
1,500,000 
1,250,000 
800,000 
1,500,000 
1,800,000 
1,000,000 
1,500,000 
1,100,900 
700,000 
700,000 
500,000 
300,000 
1,000,000 
800,000 
1,500,000 
900,000 
175,000 
1,000,000 
1,000,000 
1,500,000 
1,500,000 
600,000 
350,000 
650,000 

Central  Elevator  B 

J.  &  E.  Buckingham 

C.  B.  &  Q.  Elevator  A 

Armour,  Dole  &  Co. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  Elevator  B 

Armour,  Dole  &  Co. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  Elevator  C 

Arrnoivr,  Dole  fa  Co. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  Elevator  D 

Armour,  Dole  &  Co. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  Elevator  E 

Armour,  Dole  &  Co. 

Rock  Island  Elevator  A 

Flint,  Odell  &  Co. 

Rock  Island  Elevator  B 

Flint,  Odell  &  Co. 

Galena  Elevator 

Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co. 

Air  Line  Elevator 

Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co. 

Northwestern  Elevator 

Mun^er,  Wheeler  &  Co. 

Fulton  Elevator    .  __   . 

Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co.  .  _ 

City  Elevator 

Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co.        _   . 

Union  Elevator               _   _ 

Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co.  .. 

Iowa  Elevator 

Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co. 

Saint  Paul  Elevator 

Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co. 

Illinois  "Rivflr  "F!lpvat.nr 

Wm.  Dickinson  &  Co. 

National  Elevator 

National  Elev.  &  Dock  Co. 

Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Elevator  . 
Wabash  Elevator 

111.  Trust  &  Savings  Bank  .... 
GPO,  TI,  Dunlap  fa  Co. 

Indiana  Elevator  .     . 

frpo.  Ti.  Thinlap  fa.  Co. 

Neely  &  Hambleton's  Elevator 
Chicago  &  Danville  Elevator.  . 
Chicago  &  Pacific  Elevator  

HI.  Trust  &  Savings  Bank  
P.  D.  Armour              .         

Chi.  &  Pacific  Elevator  Co  

Total  capacity 

24,625,000 

KATES  OF  STOBAGE  ON  GKAIN   RECEIVED  IN  BULK.                  IN  °* 

If  inspected  in  good  condit 
For  the  first  ten  days, 
For  each  additional  te 

If  condemned  as  unmercha 
For  the  first  ten  days, 
For  each  additional  fi\ 

ion  when  received  —  • 
or  part  thereof  .  .              

iM 
X 

2 

X 

a  days,  or  part  thereof.       

ntable  when  received  — 
or  part  thereof  

re  days,  or  part  thereof 

From  November  15  to  April  15,  the  above  rates  will  be  charged  on 
Grain  in  good  condition  until  four  (4)  cents  per  bushel  has  accrued,  after 
which  no  additional  storage  will  be  charged  during  the  time  named,  so 
long  as  the  Grain  remains  in  good  condition. 


72  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

RULES    GOVERNING     THE     INSPECTION    OF     GRAIN    IN    THE    CITY 

OF    CHICAGO. 

The  following  are  rules  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Bail- 
road  and  Warehouse  Commissioners  establishing  fees  and 
proper  number  and  standard  of  grades  for  the  inspection  of 
grain.  The  same  to  take  effect  on  and  after  the  1st  day  of 
December,  1884,  in  lieu  of  all  rules  on  the  same  subject 
heretofore  established : 

RULE  I. -WINTER  WHE  iT. 

No.  1  White  Winter  Wheat  shall  be  pure  White  Winter  Wheat,  or 
Bed  and  White  mixed,  sound,  plump,  and  well  cleaned. 

No.  2  White  Winter  Wheat  shaU  be  White  Winter  Wheat,  or  Bed 
and  White  mixed,  sound,  and  reasonably  clean. 

No.  3  White  Winter  Wheat  shaU  include  White  Winter  Wheat,  or 
Bed  and  White  mixed,  not  clean  and  plump  enough  for  No.  2,  but  weigh- 
ing not  less  than  fifty-four  pounds  to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  4  White  Winter  Wheat  shall  include  White  Winter  Wheat,  damp, 
musty,  or  from  any  cause  so  badly  damaged  as  to  render  it  unfit  for 
No.  3. 

No.  1  Long  Bed  Winter  Wheat  shall  be  pure  Bed  Winter  Wheat  of 
the  long-berried  varieties;  sound,  plump,  and  well  cleaned. 

No.  2  Long  Bed  Winter  Wheat  shall  be  of  the  same  varieties  as  No. 
1,  sound  and  reasonably  clean. 

Turkish  Bed  Winter  Wheat— The  grades  of  Nos.  1  and  2  Turkish 
Bed  Winter  Wheat  shall  correspond  with  the  grades  of  Nos.  1  and  2  Bed 
Wintar  Wheat,  except  that  they  shall  be  of  the  Turkish  variety. 

In  case  of  mixture  of  Turkish  Bed  Winter  Wheat  with  Bed  Winter 
Wheat  it  shall  be  graded  according  to  the  quality  thereof,  and  classed  as 
Turkish  Wheat. 

No.  1  Bed  Winter  Wheat  shall  be  pure  Bed  Winter  Wheat  of  both 
light  and  dark  colors  of  the  short-berried  varieties,  sound,  plump,  and 
well  cleaned. 

No.  2  Bed  Winter  Wheat  shaU  be  Bed  Winter  Wheat  of  both  light 
and  dark  colors,  sound  and  reasonably  clean. 

No.  3  Bed  Winter  Wheat  shall  include  Bed  Winter  Wheat  not  cleaned 
and  plump  enough  for  No.  2,  but  weighing  not  less  than  fifty-four  pounds 
to  the  measured  bushel. 

No.  4  Bed  Winter  Wheat  shall  include  Bed  Winter  Wheat,  damp, 
musty,  or  from  any  cause  so  badly  damaged  as  to  render  it  unfit  for 
No.  3. 


GRAIN.  73 

In  case  of  the  mixture  of  Bed  and  White  Winter  Wheat,  it  shall  be 
graded  according  to  the  quality  thereof,  and  classed  as  White  Winter 
Wheat. 

No.  1  Colorado  Wheat  shall  be  sound,  plump,  and  well  cleaned." 

No.  2  Colorado  Wheat  shall  be  sound,  reasonably  clean,  and  of  good 
milling  quality. 

No.  3  Colorado  Wheat  shall  include  Colorado  Wheat  not  cleaned  and 
plump  enough  for  No.  2,  but  weighing  not  less  than  fifty-four  pounds  to 
the  measured  bushel. 

RULE  II.— SPRING  WHEAT. 

No.  1  Hard  Spring  Wheat  shall  be  sound,  plump,  and  well  cleaned. 

No.  2  Hard  Spring  Wheat  shall  be  sound,  reasonably  clean,  and  of 
good  milling  quality. 

No.  1  Spring  Wheat  shall  be  sound,  plump,  and  well  cleaned. 

No.  2  Spring  Wheat  shall  be  sound,  reasonably  clean,  and  of  good 
milling  quality. 

No.  3  Spring  Wheat  shall  include  all  inferior,  shrunken,  or  dirty 
Spring  Wheat,  weighing  not  less  than  fifty-three  pounds  to  the  measured 
bushel. 

No.  4  Spring  Wheat  shall  include  Spring  Wheat  damp,  musty,  grown, 
badly  bleached,  or  for  any  cause  which  renders  it  unfit  for  No.  3. 

Black  Sea  and  Flint  Pfife  Wheat  shall  in  no  case  be  inspected  higher 
than  No.  2,  and  Bice  Wheat  no  higher  than  No.  4. 

RULE   IIL-CORN. 

No.  1  Yellow  Corn  shall  be  yellow,  sound,  dry,  plump  and  well 
cleaned. 

No.  2  Yellow  Corn  shall  be  three-fourths  yellow,  dry,  reasonably 
•clean,  but  not  plump  enough  for  No.  1. 

No.  3  Yellow  Corn  shall  be  three-fourths  yellow,  reasonably  dry,  and 
reasonably  clean,  but  not  sufficiently  sound  for  No.  2. 

No.  1  White  Corn  shall  be  sound,  dry,  plump,  and  well  cleaned. 

No.  2  White  Corn  shall  be  seven-eighths  white,  dry,  reasonably  clean, 
but  not  plump  enough  for  No.  1. 

No.  3  White  Corn  shall  be  seven-eighths  white,  reasonably  dry,  and 
reasonably  clean,  but  not  sufficiently  sound  for  No.  2. 

No.  1  Corn  shall  be  mixed  Corn  of  choice  quality,  sound,  dry,  and  well 
cleaned. 

No.  2  Corn  shall  be  mixed  Corn,  dry,  reasonably  clean,  but  not  good 
enough  for  No.  1. 

No.  3  Corn  shall  be  mixed  Corn,  reasonably  dry  and  reasonably  clean , 
but  not  sufficiently  sound  for  No.  2. 

No.  4  Corn  shall  'include  all  Corn,  not  wet  or  in  heating  condition 
that  is  unfit  to  grade  No.  3. 


74  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

RULE  IV.-OAT8. 

No.  1  White  Oats  shall  be  white,  sound,  clean,  and  reasonably  free 
from  other  Grain. 

No.  2  White  Oats  shall  be  seven-eighths  white,  sweet,  reasonably 
clean,  and  reasonably  free  from  other  Grain. 

No.  3  "White  Oats  shall  be  seven-eighths  white,  but  not  sufficiently 
sound  and  clean  for  No.  2. 

No.  1  Oats  shall  be  mixed  Oats,  sound,  clean,  and  reasonably  free 
from  other  Grain. 

No.  2  Oats  shall  be  sweet,  reasonably  clean  and  reasonably  free  from 
other  Grain. 

No.  3  Oats  shall  be  all  Oats  that  are  damp,  unsound,  dirty,  or  from 
any  other  cause  unfit  for  No.  2. 

RULE    V.— RYE. 

No.  1  Eye  shall  be  sound,  plump,  and  well  cleaned. 

No.  2  Bye  shall  be  sound,  reasonably  clean,  and  reasonably  free 
from  other  Grain. 

No.  3 — All  Rye  damp,  musty,  dirty,  or  from  any  cause  unfit  for  No. 
2,  shall  be  graded  as  No.  3. 

RULE  VI.— BARLEY. 

No.  1  Barley  shall  be  plump,  bright,  clean,  and  free  from  other 
Grain. 

No.  2  Barley  shall  be  sound,  of  healthy  color,  not  plump  enough  for 
No.  1,  reasonably  clean,  and  reasonably  free  from  other  Grain. 

No.  3  Barley  shall  include  slightly  shrunken  and  otherwise  slightly 
damaged  Barley,  not  good  enough  for  No.  2. 

No.  4  Barley  shall  include  all  Barley  fit  for  malting  purposes,  not 
good  enough  for  No.  3. 

No.  5  Barley  shall  include  all  Barley  which  is  badly  damaged,  or 
from  any  cause  unfit  for  malting  purposes,  except  that  Barley  which  has 
been  chemically  treated,  shall  not  be  graded  at  all. 

Scotch  Barley — The  grades  of  Nos.  1,  2  and  3,  Scotch  Barley,  shall 
correspond  in  all  respects  with  the  grades  of  Nos.  1,  2  and  3  Barley, 
except  that  they  shall  be  of  the  Scotch  variety. 

This  rule  shall  be  in  force  on  and  after  Sept.  1,  1883,  but  it  is  pro- 
vided that  all  Barley  in  store  on  said  date,  inspected  in  under  the  rule 
hereby  amended,  shall  be  inspected  out  in  accordance  with  the  provisions 
of  said  rule. 

These  rules  shall  be  in  force  on  and  after  Dec.  1, 1884,  but  it  is  pro- 
vided that  all  Grains  in  store  on  said  date,  inspected  in  under  the  rules 
hereby  amended,  shall  be  inspected  out  in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
visions of  said  rules. 


GRAIN.  75> 

RULE  VII.      • 

•* 

The  word  "new"  shall  be  inserted  in  each  certificate  of  inspection 
of  a  newly  harvested  crop  of  Oats  until  the  15th  of  August,  of  Rye  until 
the  1st  day  of  September,  of  Wheat  until  the  1st  day  of  November,  and 
of  Barley  until  the  1st  day  of  May  of  each  year.  This  change  shall  be  con- 
strued as  establishing  a  new  grade  for  the  time  specified,  to  conform 
in  very  particular  to  the  existing  grades  of  grain,  excepting  the  distinc- 
tions of  "  new  "  and  "  old." 

RULE  VIII. 

All  Grain  that  is  warm,  or  that  is  in  heating  condition,  or  is  other- 
wise unfit  for  warehousing,  shall  not  be  graded. 

RULE  IX. 

All  inspectors  shall  make  their  reasons  for  grading  grain,  when  nec- 
essary, fully  known  by  notations  on  their  books.  The  weight  alone  shall 
not  determine  the  grade. 

RULE  X. 

Each  inspector  is  required  to  ascertain  the  weight  per  measured 
bushel  of  each  lot  of  Wheat  inspected  by  him,  and  note  the  same  on  his 
book.  . 

Any  person  who  shall  assume  to  act  as  an  Inspector  of  Grain,  who 
has  not  first  been  so  appointed  and  sworn,  shall  be  held  to  be  an  imposter, 
and  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  $50  nor  more  than  $100 
for  each  and  every  attempt  to  so  inspect  grain,  to  be  recovered  before  a 
justice  of  the  peace. 

Any  duly  authorized  Inspector  of  Grain  who  shall  be  guilty  of 
neglect  of  duty,  or  who  shall  knowingly  or  carelessly  inspect  or  grade 
any  grain  improperly,  or  who  shall  accept,  any  money  or  other  considera- 
tion, directly  or  indirectly,  for  any  neglect  of  duty,  or  the  improper  per- 
formance of  any  duty  as  Inspector  of  Grayi,  and  any  person  who  shall 
improperly  influence  any  Inspector  of  Grain  in  the  performance  of  his 
duties  as  such  inspector,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and,  on 
conviction,  shall  be  fined  in  a  sum  of  not  less  than  $100  nor  more  than 
$1,000,  in  the  discretion  of  the  court,  or  shall  be  imprisoned  in  the  county 
jail  no  less  than  three  nor  more  than  twelve  months,  or  both,  in  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  court. 

The  Chief  Inspector,  and  all  persons  inspecting  grain  under  his 
direction,  shall  in  no  case  make  the  grade  of  the  grain  above  that  of  the 
poorest  quality  found  in  any  lot  of  grain  inspected,  when  it  has  evidently 
been  "plugged"  or  otherwise,  improperly  loaded  for  the  purpose  of 
deception.  Wheat  which  has  been  subjected  to  "  scouring,"  or  to  any 
process  equivalent  thereto,  shall  not  be  graded  higher  than  No.  3. 

All  persona  employed  in  the  inspection  of  grain  shall  report  all 
attempts  to  defraud  the  system  of  grain  inspection  as  established  by  law- 


76  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

They  shall  also  report  to  the  Chief  Inspector,  in  writing,  all  instances 
where  warehousemen  'deliver,  or  attempt  to  deliver,  grain  of  a  lower 
grade  than  that  called  for  by  the  warehouse  receipt.  They  shall  also 
report  all  attempts  of  receivers  or  shippers  of  grain  to  instruct  or  in  any 
way  influence  the  action  'or  opinion  of  the  inspector,  and  the  Chief 
Inspector  shall  report  all  such  cases  to  the  Commissioners. 

We  append  a  list  of  the  leading  commission  merchants 
and  brokers  who  transact  the  bulk  of  the  grain  business  in 
•  Chicago,  all  of  whom  are  members  of  the  Board  of  Trade : 

Ash,  Isaac  N.,  &  Co.,  164  Washington  Street. 

Ashley  &  Co.,  84  La  Salle  Street. 

Bailey,  E.  W.,  &  Co.,  153  Washington  Street. 

Baldwin  &  Stone,  126  Washington  Street. 

Bensley  Bros.,  133  La  Salle  Street. 

Carr,  H.  H.,  &  Co.,  123  La  SaUe  Street. 

(Norman  B.  Ream,  Special.) 
Culver  &  Co.,  123  Washington  Street. 
Driver,  Edward  A.  &  Co.,  157  Washington  Street. 
Edwards,  E.  &  H.  C.,  10  Metropolitan  Block. 
Everingham  L.  &  Co.,  125  La  Salle  Street. 
Towler,  B.,  &  Co.,  166  Washington  Street. 
•Gregg,  Son,  &  Co.,  126  Washington  Street. 
Hamill  &  Brine,  154  Washington  Street. 
Hamill  &  Congdon,  156  Washington  Street. 
How,  Geo.  M.,  &  Co.,  238  La  SaUe  Street. 
Eing  &  Curtis,  156  Washington  Street. 
Krull  &  Volger,  123  S.  Water  Street. 
Lamson  Bros.,  119  La  Salle  Street. 
McCrea,  S.  H.,  &  Co.,  169  Washington  Street. 
Milmine,  Boardman  &  Co.,  143  La  Salle  Street. 
Orr,  S.  C.,  &  Co.,  155  Washington  Street. 
Power,  Boyd  &  Co.,  117  South  Water  Street. 
Eorenbaum  Bros.,  133  La  Salle  Street. 
Stevens,  E.  B.,  &  Co.,  122  La  Salle  Street. 
Taylor,  C.  H.  &  Co.,  123  La  SaUe  Street. 
Tan  Inwagen,  James,  165  Washington  Street. 
Wanzer  &  Co.,  84  La  SaUe  Street. 
Young  &  Nichols,  159  Washington  Street. 


LIVE   STOCK. 


To  account  for  the  continuous  and  astonishing  develop- 
ment of  the  live  stock  interests  of  this  city,  and  its  present 
enormous  magnitude,  phenomenal  and  paralleled  nowhere 
in  the  world,  we  have  only  to  consider  a  few  of  many  causes 
which  have  combined  to  bring  about  this  result.  In  the 
first  place,  all  of  the  important  railways  of  the  West  lead 
to  Chicago  in  a  network  of  converging  lines.  Second  is,. 
the  proximity  of  the  city  to  the  vast  cattle  ranges  of  the 
West,  and  its  location  at  the  eastern  gate  of  the  greatest 
corn  and  stock  producing  states  in  the  Union.  Third,  and 
an  influence  not  to  be  under-estimated  is  the  capacity  of  its 
yards  and  the  facilities  for  the  economic  handling  of  stock,, 
feeding,  loading  and  reshipping,  which  are  unequaled  any- 
where else  in  the  world.  Again,  and  a  most  important  fac- 
tor in  building  up  the  live  stock  business  of  this  city,  have 
been  the  improved  methods  of  transportation  introduced 
within  the  past  few  years,  and  the  eminently  successful  pro- 
cesses of  transporting  meats  in  refrigerator  cars  which 
has  already  quadrupled  the  exports.  Indeed,  the  shipments 
each  day  of  the  year  aggregate  over  4,000  carcasses  of  beef 
to  the  East  and  Liverpool.  Finally,  we  must  take  into  con- 
sideration the  ever  growing  demand  of  Europe  for  American 
beef  and  pork,  and  the  almost  entire  dependence  of  our  own 
great  Eastern  seaboard  cities  upon  the  grazing  states  and 
territories  of  the  West;  we  must  remember  the  wonderful 
impetus  which  these  causes  have  given  to  stock  raising; 

77 


'78  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

within  the  past  decade,  and  the  immense  profits  of  the  busi- 
ness, largely  augmented  by  the  invention  of  the  barbed 
fencing  now  so  much  in  vogue.  And  when  we  reflect  that 
the  bulk  of  this  vast  business  is  via  Chicago,  and  in  fact 
naturally  seeks  a  city  whose  banking  facilities  are  easily 
adequate  to  the  management  of  transactions  aggregating 
two  hundred  millions  per  annum,  or  indeed  triple  that  sum, 
we  have  in  a  nut-shell  the  principal  causes  of  the  surprising 
growth  of  our  live  stock  interests,  which  have  made  Chicago 
not  only  the  largest  stock  market,  but  exceeding  each  year 
in  her  receipts  of  cattle  the  combined  total  of  any  other  two 
markets  in  the  world. 

The  time  is  not  long  past  when  the  live  stock  business 
of  this  city  was  carried  on  in  a  very  primitive  way.  Men 
are  now  living  and  still  engaged  actively  in  business, 
who  bought  and  sold  their  stock  at  the  old  "  Bull's  Head  " 
tavern,  at  the  intersection  of  what  now  are  known  as  Madison 
street  and  Ogden  avenue,  where  cattle  were  corralled  on  the 
prairie,  and  where  the  Chicago  River  supplied  the  only 
means  of  watering  them.  Such,  has  been  the  marvelous 
growth  of  this  interest  since  1850,  that  from  a  comparatively 
insignificant  sum  of  money,  representing  the  total  valuation, 
for  that  year,  it  reached  in  1866,  $42,765,328,  growing  to 
$117,533,942  in  1875,  and  to  $201,252,772  in  1883. 

A  potent  factor  in  this  marvelous  increase  has  been  the 
well  directed  enterprise  and  uniformly  excellent  management 
of  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  where  this  gigantic  business  has 
been  carried  on.  The  magnitude  reached  by  the  traffic  in 
1864-5,  was  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  facilities  offered 
for  the  convenient  and  satisfactory  transaction  of  the  busi- 
ness. The  constant  and  rapid  increase  of  the  trade  resulted 
in  the  construction  of  these  yards  in  1865,  which  were 
opened  for  business  in  December  of  that  year.  The  company 
owns  360  acre*  of  land,  and  some  fortv  miles  of  railroad 


LIVE    STOCK.  79 

track,  making  a  transit  through  the  city  and  running  through 
different  parts  of  the  yards,  connecting  with  every  road 
entering  here.  There  are  fifty  miles  of  switch-tracks,  all 
laid  with  steel  rails.  The  convergence  of  the  entire  system 
of  railway  lines  in  the  West  at  this  point  makes  this  the 
most  accessible  point  in  the  country  for  a  great  live  stock 
mart,  and  these  yards  have  been  pronounced  by  experts  in 
such  matters  both  in  the  United  States  and  Europe 
as  the  most  perfect  in  plan,  detail,  arrangements  and 
appointments,  of  any  in  the  world.  '  One  hundred  and 
seventy-five  acres  of  land  are  under  plank,  divided  up 
for  different  kinds  of  animals,  as  follows:  One  hundred 
acres  of  cattle  yards,  and  seventy-five  acres  of  covered 
hog  and  sheep  pens.  There  are  twelve  hundred  cattle 
pens,  with  a  capacity  for  yarding  20,000  cattle,  thir- 
teen hundred  hog  pens,  with  capacity  for  150,000  hogs; 
three  hundred  sheep  pens,  with  ample  room  for  5,000  sheep. 
There  is  also  stabling  for  1,000  horses.  So  complete  are 
the  arrangements  for  handling  stock,  that  fifteen  hundred 
car  loads  can  be  unloaded  and  taken  care  of  daily.  Running 
through  different  parts  of  the  yards  are  fifteen  miles  of 
macadamized  streets.  Forty  miles  of  water  and  drainage 
pipes  run  underneath  the  whole  system,  forming  a  complete 
network,  conveying  water  to  every  yard  and  pen  in  this 
immense  inclosure  and  securing  perfect  drainage;  considera- 
tions of  the  first  importance  from  a  sanitary  point  of  view, 
as  \vell  as  for  the -convenient  handling  of  stock. 

Although  when  these  yards  were  built  and  equipped  it 
\vas  supposed  that  the  facilities  they  supplied  to  transact  and 
expedite  business  would  be  ample  for  many  years,  it  was  not 
long  before  additions  were  found  to  be  necessary.  From 
time  to  time  these  have  been  made,  costing  for  some  years 
upwards  of  $100.01)0.  with  such  additions  and  improvements 
.as  the  enormous  and  steady  increase  of  business  required. 


80  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

It  has  come  to  be  well  understood  that  whenever  additional 
facilities  are  found  to  be  needed  to  expedite  the  traffic  at 
these  yards,  the  management  at  once  set  about  supplying 
them.  During  1883,  to  meet  increased  and  increasing  wants, 
a  large  number  of  new  cattle  pens  were  built ;  new  stretches  of 
elevated  driveway  for  passing  hogs  from  the  central  portions 
of  the  yards  to  the  packing-houses  and  shipping  departments 
were  provided ;  a  new  shipping  department  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  Chicago  &  Atlantic  Railway  was  added,  and 
various  minor  improvements  made. 

Additional  facilities  have  also  been  supplied  the  present 
year  to  afford  complete  accommodations  for  all  branches  of 
this  vast  business,  of  which  public  sales  of  improved  breeds 
of  cattle,  horses,  etc.,  are  an  important  feature.  A  large 
pavilion  has  been  constructed  in  which  these  sales  are  held, 
complete  in  all  its  arrangements  and  appointments.  It  is 
in  circular  form,  with  a  roomy  arena  for  the  display  and 
sale  of  animals,  north  and  south  entrances  and  exits,  platform 
for  the  criers,  clerks  of  the  sales,  reporters'  tables,  etc. ;  amphi- 
theater with  seating  capacity  for  six  hundred  persons,  etc. 
It  is  well  lighted  and  is  heated  by  steam.  Public  sales  are 
held  of  cattle  brought  here  by  owners  of  noted  herds  from 
all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
this  being  a  very  convenient  and  accessible  point  for  buyers 
to  reach  from  all  parts  of  the  country  who  desire  to  purchase 
blooded  stock.  A  regular  horse  market  has  also  been 
established  at  the  yards,  where  a  large  number  of  imported 
as  well  as  American  bred  horses  of  improved  blood  are 
annually  bought  and  sold. 

Within  the  enclosure  of  360  acres  are  large  and  com- 
modious buildings,  necessary  to  the  vast  business  transacted. 
The  "Transit  House"  is  a  first-class  hotel,  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $250,000,  elegantly  furnished  and  superbly  kept,  the 
charges  to  stockmen  being  $2.00  a  day  only,  or  fifty  cents 


LIVE    STOCK.  81 

per  meal  and  fifty  cents  for  lodging.  The  Exchange 
Building  is  a  large  two-and-a-half  story  brick  structure  60x380 
feet,  located  in  the  center  of  the  yards.  It  is  divided  up  as 
follows:  Large  Board  of  Trade  room,  main  offices  for  the 
Stock  Yards  Company,  offices  for  the  Superintendent, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  the  Union  Stock  Yards  National 
Bank  building,  40x60,  telegraph  office,  postoffice, 
restaurant,  60x80,  saloon,  packers'  offices,  offices  for  Eastern 
shippers,  news  stand,  barber  shop,  fruit  stands,  and  about 
one  hundred  offices  for  commission  firms,  ten  large  hay 
barns,  ten  large  corn  cribs,  a  number  of  horse  stables, 
thirteen  scale  houses,  each  containing  one  of  Fairbanks' 
improved  scales,  with  a  capacity  for  weighing  several  car- 
loads of  cattle  or  hogs  at  a  draft;  machine  shops,  depot 
buildings,  printing  office,  and  numerous  other  buildings 
used  in  the  transaction  of  the  business  of  the  yards.  There 
are  two  large  Artesian  wells  situated  in  the  center  of  the 
yards,  one  of  which  is  eleven  hundred  and  the  other  twelve 
hundred  feet  deep.  These  wells  flow  an  abundance  of  pure 
water  which  is  conveyed  through  pipes  to  every  cattle  yard 
and  hog  pen  within  the  enclosure.  They  also  afford  a 
supply  ample  to  extinguish  any  fire  that  may  occur. 

The  Union  Stock  Yards  National  Bank,  with  a  capital  of 
$500,000  and  a  surplus  of  $100,000,  is  situated  in  immediate 
proximity  to  the  Exchange  building,  and  ranks  among  the 
soundest  banks  in  the  United  States.  It  is  practically  the 
financial  agent  for  the  live-stock  shippers,  buyers  and  com- 
mission houses  engaged  in  this  trade,  and  an  idea  of  its 
transactions  may  be  had  when  the  fact  is  known  that  from 
one-half  to  one  million  dollars,  or  its  equivalent,  passes 
through  it  daily,  during  the  busy  season,  to  move  the 
enormous  live  stock  business  here. 

The  Drovers'  National  Bank  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
is  a  somewhat  recent  addition  and  acquisition  to  the  financial 
6 


82  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

facilities  afforded  here;  it  was  established  in   1883,  and  is 
located  directly  opposite  the  Stock  Yards. 

This  is  exclusively  a  cash  market;  it  is  also  known  to  be 
quick  and  active — advantages  that  stock-growers  and  ship- 
pers appreciate — hence  the  fact  that  nearly  all  operators  in 
the  vast  grazing  regions  of  Texas,  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  the 
Western  Territories  bill  their  stock  to  this  point.  Buyers 
from  all  points  in  the  East  who  operate  in  fat  cattle, 
and  others  from  every  part  of  the  country  looking  for  stock, 
cattle,  sheep  and  hogs,  are  in  constant  attendance  here ;  the 
city  of  packing-houses  (whose  enormous  requirements  are 
elsewhere  given  in  this  work)  are  located  at  the  yards,  and 
are  essentially  a  large  factor  in  the  business  transacted 
there.  These  unmatched  facilities  and  accessories  in  the 
conduct  of  the  live  stock  traffic  of  the  Western  continent, 
readily  explain  the  prominence  of  Chicago  as  the  leading 
live  stock  market  of  the  world.  Shippers  and  stockmen 
realize  fully  its  advantages,  which  are  in  short,  that  they 
are  almost  certain  to  obtain  at  any  time  of  the  year  the  full 
value  of  their  stock ;  that  they  recive  immediate  cash  returns,, 
or  their  equivalent,  on  the  day  of  sale;  that  this  is  the 
recognized  leading  mart  of  the  world ;  that  buyers  congre- 
gate here  from  all  points,  which  creates  demand  for  stock 
of  every  description. 

In  further  support  of  the  reputation  of  this  market,  and 
in  marked  contrast  with  other  live  stock  markets,  it  should 
be  noted  that  during  the  recent  financial  panic  the  receipts 
at  these  yards  were  quite  as  large  as  usual,  and  the  market 
active  at  good  round  prices.  The  producer  and  shipper 
received  in  payment  for  their  stock  whatever  they  demanded, 
gold,  currency  or  exchange,  and  the  buyer  found  a  ready 
sale  for  his  exchange  at  the  usual  rates  of  discount.  In 
short  the  business  moved  along  here  through  the  days  of  the 
panic  in  the  even  tenor  of  its  way,  without  let,  hindrance  or 
cessation. 


LIVE    STOCK.  83 

The  Chicago  Live  Stock  Exchange  was  recently  organized 
by  men  engaged  in  breeding,  feeding,  shipping,  selling, 
slaughtering  and  packing  live  stock,  and  shipping  dressed 
beef. 

It  numbers  over  200  members,  and  was  organized  for 
the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  stock-growing  fraternity 
generally.  It  is  intended  to  have  a  competent  and  reliable 
veterinary  surgeon  at  the  yards  for  the  purpose  of  prevent- 
ing the  introduction  there  of  any  cattle  in  any  way  diseased,  in 
order  that  the  public  may  be  fully  assured  that  no  unhealthy 
live  stock,  or  impure  meat,  will  ever  be  placed  upon  the 
market  from  these  yards.  This  officer  will  be  in  the  employ 
of  the  Exchange,  and  entirely  free  from  any  outside 
influence. 

The  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Co.  will  next  spring 
erect  a  hall  and  offices  for  the  use  of  this  Exchange. 

The  following  are  the  present  officers  of  the  Chicago 
Live  Stock  Exchange:  Elmer  Washburn,  President;  Peter 
H.  Beveridge,  Vice-President ;  Charles  W.  Baker,  Secretary; 
and  Levi  B.  Doud,  Treasurer,  with  a  Board  consisting  of 
eleven  directors. 

The  following  statements,  extracted  from  the  annual 
reports  of  Mr.  George  T.  Williams,  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  giving  the  total  receipts,  ship- 
ments, and  valuation  of  stock  for  the  past  eighteen  years, 
contain  a  number  of  instructive  and  suggestive  facts : 


84  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

TOTAL  EECEIPTS  OF  STOCK  FOR  EIGHTEEN  YEAES. 


CATTLE. 

CALVES. 

HOGS. 

SHEEP. 

HOKSES. 

1865,  5  days 

613 

17,764 

1,433 

1866 

393,007 

961,746 

207,987 

1,553 

1867 

329,188 

1,696,738 

180,888 

847 

1868.. 

324,524 

1,706,782 

270,891 

1,902 

1869. 

403,102 

1,661,869 

340,072 

1,524 

1870 

532,964 

1,693,158 

3i9,853 

3,537 

1871 

543,050 

2,380,083 

315,053 

5,963 

1872 

684,075 

3,252,623 

310,211 

12,145 

1873 

761,428 

4,437,750 

291,734 

20,289 

1874 

843,966 

4,258,379 

333,655 

17,588 

1875 

920,843 

3,912,110 

418,948 

11,346 

1876 

1,096,745 

4,190,006 

364,095 

8,159 

1877 

1,033,151 

4,025,970 

310,240 

7,874 

1878 

1,083,068 

6,339,654 

310,420 

9,415 

1879 

1,215,732 

6,448,330 

325,119 

10,473 

1880 

1,382,477 

7,059,355 

335,810 

10,398 

1881 

1,498,550 

48,948 

6,474,844 

493,624 

12,909 

1882 

1,582,530 

24,965 

5,817,504 

628,887 

13,856 

1883 

1,878,944 

30,223 

5,640,625 

749,917 

15,255 

Total  

16,507,957 

104,136 

71,975,290 

6,538,837 

165,033 

TOTAL  SHIPMENT  OF  STOCK  FOR  EIGHTEEN  YEARS. 


CATTLE. 

CALVES. 

HOGS. 

SHEEP. 

HOKSES. 

1866 

263,693 

482,875 

75,447 

162 

1867 

203,580 

758,789 

50,275 

387 

1868 

215,987 

1,020,329 

81,634 

2,185 

1869 

294,717 

1,086,305 

108,690 

1,538 

1870 

391,709 

924,453 

116,711 

3,488 

1871 

401,927 

1,162,286 

135,084 

5,482 

1872 

510,025 

1,835,594 

145,016 

10,625 

1873 

574,181 

2,197,557 

115,235 

18,540 

1874 

622,929 

2,330,361 

180,555 

16,608 

1875 

696,534 

1,582,643 

243,604 

11,129 

1876.. 

797,724 

1,131,635 

195,925 

6,839 

1877 

703,402 

951,221 

155,354 

6,598 

1878  .. 

699,108 

1,266,906 

156,727 

8,176 

1879 

726,903 

1,692,361 

159,266 

9,289 

1880 

886,614 

1,394,990 

156,510 

8,713 

1881 

938,712 

33,465 

1,289,679 

253,938 

11,108 

1882 

921,009 

10,229 

1,747,722 

314,200 

12,788 

1883  

966,758 

12,671 

1,319,392 

374,463 

14,698 

Total  

10,815,512 

56,365 

24,175,098 

3,018,634 

148,353 

Prior  to  1881,  calves  were  classed  with  cattle. 


LIVE     STOCK.  85 

VALUATION  OF  STOCK  FOR  EIGHTEEN  YEAES. 

1866 842,765,328  1875 $  117,533,942 

1867 42,375,241  1876 111,185,650 

1868 52,506,288  1877 99,024,100 

1869 60,171,217  1878 106,101,879 

1870 62,090,631  1879 114,795,834 

1871 60,331,082  1880 143,057,626 

1872 87,500,000  1881 183,007,710 

1873 91,321,162  1882 196,670,221 

1874 115,049,140  1883 201,252,772 

Following  we  append  a  list  of  the  leading  Live  Stock 
Commission  firms,  who  transact  the  bulk  of  this  business  in 
Chicago. 

Wood  Bros.  (S.  E.  Wood,  James  Wood,  E.  A.  Wood).  Booms,  18  and 
20  Exchange  Building. 

Conover  &  Herrick  (H.  H.  Conover,  E.  K.  Herrick).  D.  A.  Hall, 
Special.  Successors  to  Conover  &  Hall.  Booms,  34  and  36  Exchange 
Building. 

Hanna,  Scott  &  Co.,  (J.  S.  Hannah,  M.  Scott,  A.  Waggoner).  Boom, 
97  Exchange  Building. 

Ingewrsen  Bros.  (H.  C.  Ingwersen,  C.  H.  Inguersen).  Boom,  43 
Exchange  Building. 

Beveridge,  McCausland  &  Co.  (P.  H.  Beveridge,  S.  C.  McCausland, 
D.  Burdick(.  Boom,  42  and  44  Exchange  Building.  Refers  to  Union 
Stock  Yards  National  Bank,  Chicago;  First  National  &  Farmers'  National 
Bank,  Geneseo,  HI.;  First  National  Bank,  Marengo,  Iowa;  First  National 
Bank,  Freemont,  Neb.;  Emmerson  &  West,  Greeley,  Col. 

Campbell,  Lancaster  &  Co.  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago;  National 
Stock  Yards,  East  St.  Louis;  Kansas  City  Stock  Yards,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Members  of  the  firm  are  located  as  follows:  James  H.  Campbell,  Chicago. 
G.  Lancaster,  St.  Louis;  G.  W.  Campbell  and  James  Lancaster,  Kan- 
sas City. 

Conger,  R.  P.,  &  M.  Room  63  Exchange  Building.  Refers  to  L.  J 
Gage,  Vice  President  First  National  Bank,  Chicago. 

Gregory,  Cooley  &  Co.    Room,  58  Exchange  Building. 

B.  A.  Hathaway.  Grade  bulls  and  car  lots  a  specialty.  Boom,  58 
Exchange  Building. 

Swift  Bros.,  &  Co.  Cattle  and  beef  dealers;  shippers  of  dressed 
beef.  Room,  70  Exchange  Building. 


PACKING    INTERESTS. 

HOGS. 

Chicago's  growth  in  every  branch  of  her  commercial 
interests,  is  in  one  sense  phenomenal,  but  in  no  one  industry 
has  she  made  more  rapid  strides  than  that  to  which  a  brief 
consideration  is  given  in  this  chapter. 

Not  long  ago  Mr.  Charles  Cleaves,  an  old  and  honored 
citizen  of  Chicago,  writing  on  this  subject,  said:  "I  think 
there  were  only  about  35,000  head  of  cattle  slaughtered 
during  the  season  from  October  to  January  as  late  as  1857  ; 
and  not  more  than  150,000  hogs.  In  these  days,  when  the 
number  of  hogs  slaughtered  is  by  the  million,  that  would 
seem  a  small  business,  but  it  was  then  thought  to  be  a  very 
large  trade."  The  same  writer  in  his  reminisences  of  early 
days  in  Chicago,  says:  "In  1837  I  bought  several  loads  of 
dressed  hogs  from  farmers  as  low  as  $1.25  per  hundred. 
Packing  in  those  days  was  quite  an  experiment,  and  few 
were  found  willing  to  risk  their  money  in  it,  as  they  had  to 
carry  everything  they  packed  until  spring,  and  then  ship 
East  by  vessel." 

The  first  regular  packers  here  were  the  Felt  Bros.,  Will- 
iam and  Norman,  who  continued  in  the  business  until  1850- 
59,  when  they  went  into  the  live  stock  trade,  and  were  for 
years  known  as  among  the  most  extensive  shippers  in  the 
West.  But  the  packing  interests  in  Chicago  date  their  real 
rise  and  growth  from  the  establishment  here  in  1866  of  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  a  short  history  and  description  of  which 
are  elsewhere  given.  In  that  year  the  total  number  of  hogs 

86 


PACKING    INTERESTS.  87 

received  in  this  market  was  only  961,746;  of  these  perhaps 
not  over  100,000  were  slaughtered,  including  those  killed 
for  city  use  and  in  the  packing  houses.  (In  1883  about 
twelve  per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of  hogs  were  received 
slaughtered,  including,  as  stated  above,  those  for  city  use 
and  those  handled  by  the  packers. )  In  the  same  year  the 
total  number  of  hogs  received  was  5,640,625,  and  of  this 
number  4,321,233  were  consumed  by  the  packers  and  city 
butchers. 

While  Chicago  stands  unquestionably  at  the  head  of  all 
other  cities  in  the  extent  and  volume  of  her  packing  interests, 
yet  both  her  live  stock  and  her  packing  trade  have,  to 
some  extent,  suffered  by  the  prohibitory  measures  passed  by 
certain  foreign  powers  against  the  importation  of  American 
pork  and  its  products.  On  this  subject  and  referring 
directly  to  the  action  of  Germany  and  France,  the  Chicago 
Daily  Commercial  Report,  in  its  review  of  our  packing 
interests  for  the  current  year,  says  : 

"During  the  past  winter  season  the  foreign  demand  for 
product  has  fallen  considerably  under  an  average  for  past 
years.  The  returns  show  that  for  the  four  months  com- 
prising the  season,  the  exports  from  this  country  were 
36,693,497  pounds  less  than  for  the  winter  season  of  1882- 
83.  This  large  falling  off  was  due  to  several  causes,  some 
of  which  came  from  the  peculiar  condition  of  business,  and 
others,  and  perhaps  the  most  important,  from  circumstances 
beyond  the  control  of  the  trade.  In  the  first  place  the  short- 
age in  the  manufacture  made  packers  more  listless  and  indif- 
ferent about  forcing  foreign  shipments  than  in  former  years ; 
secondly,  the  advancing  character  of  the  product  market, 
from  the  opening  to  the  close  of  the  season,  resulted  in 
inducing  exporters  to  follow  a  "  hand  to  mouth"  policy  in 
making  their  purchases,  and  thirdly,  the  hostile  position  of 
France  and  Germany  had  a  tendency  to  unsettle  and  curtail 


88  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

the  trade  generally.  These,  briefly  stated,  were  the  causes 
that  operated  unfavorably  on  the  foreign  movement,  and  to 
them  can  be  traced  the  poor  showing  made  by  the  export 
trade.  Of  these  causes,  the  most  exasperating,  if  not  the 
most  injurious,  was  the  prohibition  enforced  by  France  and 
Germany,.  The  shortage  in  the  manufacture,  and  the 
unwillingness  of  exporters  to  buy  freely  on  an  advancing 
market,  were  features  of  the  winter's  business  that  came 
naturally  from  the  condition  of  affairs,  but  the  prohibition 
by  the  Governments  named  was  regarded  as  an  unprovoked 
assault  upon  an  American  business  interest,  made  by  coun- 
tries supposed  to  hold  friendly  relations  with  the  United 
States.  The  effect  of  the  interdiction  by  France  and 
Germany  upon  business  was  doubtless  somewhat  instigated 
this  past  winter  by  the  large  shrinkage  in  the  packing,  yet 
its  moral  bearing  has  been  anything  but  satisfactory.  The 
position  taken  by  these  two  leading  countries  has  unquestion- 
ably had  its  influence  upon  consumers  of  hog  products  the 
world  over." 

America  produces  annually  over  35,000,000  hogs.  Of 
this  immense  number  nearly  6,000,00  or  over  one-seventh 
of  all  the  hogs  raised  in  the  country,  are  annually  marketed 
in  this  city.  Last  year,  as  once  stated,  the  total  number  of 
hogs  received  was  5,640,625;  these  figures  are  found  in  the 
annual  report  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Co.  and 
are  therefore  reliable.  In  the  face  of  these  facts  then,  there 
is  no  room  left  for  doubting  Chicago's  supremacy,  not  only 
as  a  live  stock  market,  but  also  as  the  largest  packing  center 
on  this  continent.  And  more  than  that,  each  year  sees  these 
important  interests  developing,  keeping  pace  with  all 
demands,  and  extending  their  beneficent  influence  to  almost 
every  quarter  of  the  civilized  globe.  It  is  no  idle  boast,  too, 
that  nowhere  can  be  found  men  of  more  genuine  push  and 
enterprise  than  that  class  known  as  Chicago  packers.  The 


PACKING    INTERESTS.  89' 

wonderful  development  of  the  business  under  their  manage- 
ment is  so  potent,  that  no  further  argument  is  needed  to 
warrant  the  assertion.  No  pains  nor  money  have  been 
spared  to  complete  and  perfect  the  details,  to  cover  economy, 
cleanliness  and  dispatch  in  the  methods  of  converting  the 
live  hog  into  pork  and  its  various  products;  and  the 
improvements  made  in  this  direction  are  truly  astonishing. 
One  writer  facetiously  puts  it,  "  that  Chicago  packers  have 
reached  that  point  in  the  handling  of  the  hog,  that  about  the 
only  thing  not  utilized  in  some  way  is  the  squeal." 

The  hair,  blood,  offal,  entrails,  heart  and  other  organs 
are  all  used  and  made  to  bring  in  money,  and  by  improved 
methods  and  appliances,  those  portions  formerly  wasted  are 
now  turned  to  profit  and  account.  "  For  this  reason,"  says 
the  same  authority  already  quoted,  "the  packer  of  to-day 
can  make  money  where  a  decade  ago  he  would  have  lost." 

Science  is  constantly  developing  improved  methods  and 
labor-saving  machinery,  and  even  now  everything  is  done 
with  precision  and  on  a  systematic  basis,  leaving  no  room 
for  loss,  except  where  reckless  folly  or  wasteful  management 
prevails.  The  following  carefully  prepared  table  shows  the 
total  amount  packed  here  from  March  1,  1883,  to  February 
29,  1884;  also  the  leading  packing  houses,  showing  the 
number  of  hogs  slaughtered  by  each,  as  well  as  the  aggre- 
gate slaughtered  by  all. 

A  glance  at  the  table  will  convince  the  reader  that  in  no 
other  way  could  this  vast  volume  of  business  be  more  clearly 
or  more  concisely  shown: 


90  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

Armour  &  Co 943,459 

Anglo- American  Packing  and  Provision  Co. .. 542,757 

Eobert  Warren  &  Co.,  late  Davies,  Atkinson  &  Co.  101,467 

Furguson  J.  C.  &  Co. 131,749 

Hately  Bros. 185,001 

Tobey&  Booth 181,548 

Underwood  &  Co.  ..  140,327 


2,226,308 
Other  houses  ..  .  1,626,350 


Total  packed 3,852,658 

Of  the  firms  named  here,  it  may  truly  be  said  that  the 
goods  packed  by  them  are  known  throughout  the  entire 
world,  and  acknowledged  to  be  of  a  superior  quality,  and 
distinguished  by  individual  brands  and  trade-marks,  whereas 
the  goods  put  up  by  the  other  concerns,  while  of  a  high 
quality,  are  not  distinguished  by  any  particular  marks 
other  than  those  of  the  Chicago  inspectors  of  pork  for  the 
Board  of  Trade. 

The  combined  capacity  of  the  packing-houses  during  the 
winter  season  is  about  60,000  hogs  per  day,  which  would  be 
360,000  per  week,  and  over  18,000,000  head  per  annum,  for 
the  winter  season.  With  these  facilities  it  can  sarcely  be  a 
matter  of  conjecture  that  Chicago  will  in  the  future  main- 
tain the  position  she  now  holds  of  being  the  largest  packing 
center  in  the  world.  Of  the  score  or  more  of  large  firms 
now  engaged  in  the  business,  nearly  all  run  the  greater 
portion  of  the  year  through;  during  certain  months  they 
"run  light"  as  compared  with  the  work  done  in  the  height 
of  the  packing  season. 


PACKING    INTERESTS. 


91 


The  following  table  shows  the  range  of  prices  prevailing 
:in  this  market  for  the  five  past  seasons,  the  figures  given 
.being  those  paid  by  Chicago  packers  for  live  hogs: 


WEEK 
ENDING. 

SEASON 

1883—84. 

SEASON 

1882—83. 

SEASON 

1881—82. 

SEASON 

1880—81. 

SEASON 

1879—80. 

Nov.  3... 

84  20  36  10 

$6  25  $7  75 

$5  70  $6  90 

$4  40  $4  95 

S3  30^3  95 

10.. 

4  00  4  95 

6  20  7  75 

5  50  6  80 

4  40  5  00 

3  40  4  10 

17.. 

4  20  5  05 

6  20  7  60 

5  75  6  75 

4  40  5  00 

3  50  4  10 

24.... 

4  15  5  20 

5  65  7  00 

5  75  6  50 

4  45  5  10 

3  70  4  40 

Dec.  1.. 

5  00  5  50 

5  75  7  00 

5  75  6  50 

4  20  5  00 

3  90  4  20 

8_._- 

4  40  5  55 

5  85  7  00 

5  65  6  55 

4  25  5  10 

4  35  5  00 

15.... 

4  50  5  80 

5  40  6  75 

5  75  6  65 

4  25  5  10 

4  00  4  85 

22.___ 

4  90  6  20 

5  50  6  80 

5  70  6  50 

4  30  5  10 

4  20  4  90 

29.... 

4  80  5  90 

5  60  6  70 

5  80  6  65 

4  35  5  10 

4  30  5  00 

Jan.  5... 

5  10  6  20 

5  60  6  70 

5  90  6  75 

4  40  5  20 

4  25  4  85 

12.... 

5  00  6  10 

5  60  6  75 

6  00  7  00 

4  50  5  50 

4  25  4  95 

19... 

5  10  6  25 

5  75  6  90 

6  60  7  05 

4  50  5  65 

4  25  4  85 

26... 

5  50  6  50 

5  75  6  90 

6  10  6  25 

4  70  5  90 

4  30  4  80 

Feb.  2... 

5  55  6  75 

5  90  7  25 

6  15  7  50 

5  00  6  00 

4  30  4  80 

9___- 

5  85  7  05 

6  10  7  30 

6  10  7  50 

5  00  6  30 

4  15  4  30 

"  23.. 

6  40  7  50 

6  25  7  65 

6  00  7  50 

5  20  6  35 

4  15  4  75 

Mar.  !..._ 

6  00  7  60 



The  average  price  for  the  seasons  through  as  given  above  are  as 
follows: 


For  1883—84 $5  61 

"     1882—83 .  6  52 

"     1881—82..  .  6  40 


For  1890—81 $5  004 

"     1879—80..  -  4  37 


It  should  be  understood  that  the  packing  year  opens 
with  the  beginning  of  March  and  closes  with  February,  and 
is  divided  by  packers  into  two  periods,  known  as  the  sum- 
mer and  winter  seasons.  The  summer  season  opens  with 
the  1st  of  March  and  closes  with  the  31st  of  October;  the 
winter  season  opens  with  the  1st  of  November  and  closes 
with  the  28th  of  February.  During  the  winter  packing 
•season  closing  in  March  last,  Chicago  packers  slaughtered 
but  1,988,460  head  of  hogs,  against  2,525,047  for  the  same 
period  of  1882-83,  and  2,323,847  for  the  season  of  1881-82. 
From  these  figures  it  will  be  seen  that  the  past  season 
.shows  a  decrease  in  the  volume  of  business  done,  and  yet 
ithe  books  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Co.  showed 


92 


CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 


for  the  first  half  of  the  winter  season  an  increase  in  its 
receipts  of  live  stock  over  the  same  period  for  the  preceding 
years,  although  for  the  entire  year  in  the  total  receipts  of 
live  stock  there  was  a  falling  off  compared  with  previous 
years.  The  causes  for  this  have  already  been  shown  in  the 
extract  taken  from  the  Commercial  Eeport. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  with  the  removal  of  foreign 
interdiction  and  a  revival  of  the  now  lagging  business  interest 
of  the  country  at  large,  that  the  figures  of  former  years  will 
again  be  reached  and  in  time  exceeded. 

The  table  here  presented  shows  the  total  number  of  hogs 
packed  in  Chicago  during  the  past  eight  years  : 


TOTAL   PACKING  EIGHT  YEABS. 

NO. 

AT  NET  WT. 

AV.   YIELD- 
LABJ). 

Pac 

dng  o 

f  Sea 

son  1832-83 

4,158,948 
5,012,392 
5,583,034 
4,563,290 
4,909,971 
3,941,292 
2,922,072 
2,297,528 

203.44 
202.32 
200 
217.05 
213.40 
216.18 
203.56 
203.40 

33.62 

35.51 
33.74 
36.95 
41.34 
36.56 
32.46 
32.94 

1881-82 

1880-81      

1879-80 

1878-79 

1877-78 

1876-77 

1875-76  

By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  from  1875-76  to  1880-81 
inclusive,  a  steady  increase  was  made  until  the  latter  year, 
when  the  volume  of  business  was  almost  double  that  at  the 
beginning  of  the  period  mentioned. 

The  season  following  1881-82  was  directly  after  the 
action  of  France  declaring  an  embargo  on  American  pork, 
since  which  and  owing  to  similar  action  on  the  part  of 
Germany,  the  business  has  speedily  declined  in  volume. 
Competent  judges  say  that  now,  this  important  industry 
having  adapted  itself  to  a  materially  lessened  demand 
abroad,  has  only  to  meet  present  requirements  at  home  until 
a  change  of  policy  of  the  governments  mentioned,  when  an 
increased  activity,  can,  of  course,  be  expected. 


PACKING    INTERESTS.  93 

That  this  change  is  likely  to  come  at  no  distant  day, 
there  is  good  cause  to  believe.  It  is  well  known  that 
among  the  masses  in  these  countries,  no  prejudice  exists 
against  the  American  hog,  and  that  this  cry  of  diseased  pork 
is  only  a  blind  to  cover  up  the  real  motives  prompting  the 
course  already  taken. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  the  food  supply  of  Europe 
is  now  only  ten  months,  that  for  two  months  in  the  year  it 
must  depend  on  outside  sources  for  the  very  bread  and  meat 
to  keep  millions  from  starvation,  it  will  be  seen  that  Ameri- 
can meats,  cheap,  sweet  and  wholesome,  will,  in  time,  be  as 
warmly  welcomed  as  they  are  now  unjustly  excluded  and 
abused. 


CATTLE    PACKING. 


One  of  the  remarkable  features  of  the  cattle  trade  in 
Chicago  is  the  "dressed  beef"  business.  A  few  years  ago, 
when  this  now  important  industry  was  started,  although  it 
then  met  with  pronounced  popular  favor,  yet  its  most  san- 
guine supporters  did  riot  dream  that  it  would  soon  assume 
its  present  immense  proportions.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
were  those,  who,  viewing  with  alarm  its  rapid  growth,  pre- 
dicted that  the  days  of  shipping  on  the  hoof  were  numbered ;. 
time  has  shown,  however,  that  the  latter  class  did  not  fully 
comprehend  the  importance  nor  the  magnitude  of  the  live 
stock  shipping  trade. 

For  to-day,  figures  disclose  that,  marvelous  as  has  been 
the  increase  in  dressed  meats,  yet  it  has  not  been  so  much 
at  the  expense  of  the  live  stock  business  as  might  be  sup- 
posed ;  apriori  that  the  increase  the  past  year  in  the  dressed 
beef  business,  has  not  greatly  exceeded  the  increase  in  the 
total  receipts  of  cattle.  While  the  above  is  true,  it  must  of 
course  be  admitted  that  the  "new  way"  is  steadily  encroach- 
ing on  the  old,  and,  despite  all  that  may  be  said  or  done 
against  it,  is  destined  to  still  further  advance  in  popular 
favor. 

The  past  year  fully  one-half  of  the  total  receipts  of  cat- 
tle at  this  market  went  into  cans  or  refrigerator  cars,  and 
from  there  was  distributed  to  consumers  in  the  East, 
When  Chicago  dressed  beef  first  made  its  appearance  in  the 
market  of  New  York,  at  the  rate  of  a  train  load  daily,  it  nat- 

94 


CATTLE    PACKING.  95' 

urally  excited  much,  consternation  and  no  little  opposition 
among  the  live  stock  shippers.  An  effort  was  immediately 
made  to  have  the  railroads  advance  the  freight  charges  on 
dressed  meat  to  the  East,  which  was  finally  done,  though  it 
has  in  nowise  crippled  the  business,  because  over  thirty  car- 
cases are  now  shipped  in  a  car,  while  on  the  hoof  eighteen 
animals  make  a  car  load. 

It  did  not  take  the  people  of  New  York  long  to  learn 
that  our  dressed  meat,  shipped  to  them  in  refrigerator  cars, 
was  much  better  than  that  obtained  from  animals  shipped 
there  on  the  hoof,  and  then  slaughtered  by  home  butchers; 
besides,  it  had  the  additional  merit  of  being  cheaper.  Now 
the  leading  hotels  and  restaurants  of  that  city  make  a 
specialty  of  setting  before  their  patrons  the  finest  Chicago 
dressed  beef,  and  all  stand  ready  to  attest  its  undoubted 
excellence.  In  fact,  refrigerator  beef  from  this  city  is  now 
sold  almost  everywhere  throughout  the  Eastern  and  Middle 
States;  large  amounts  are  also  shipped  north  and  to  the 
larger  towns  in  this  State,  and  not  a  little  of  it  is  exported. 
In  point  of  quality,  the  cattle  purchased  at  the  Stock  Yards 
here  for  shipment  in  dressed  form  are  fully  as  good,  if  not 
indeed  better,  than  those  taken  by  Eastern  buyers  for  ship- 
ment on  the  hoof.  Indeed  it  is  a  fact  undisputed  that  the 
dressed  beef  men  pay  more  for  cattle,  fat  and  just  suited  to 
their  wants,  than  operators  in  live  stock  can  afford  to  give.. 

It  has  been  found  impossible  to  give  more  than  an 
approximate  estimate  of  the  number  of  catile  used  here 
during  the  past  season  in  the  packing  and  dressed  meat 
trade.  Many  small  houses  that  slaughter,  or  have  their 
killing  done  at  the  Stock  Yards,  sell  the  choicest  portions  of 
their  animals  to  city  market  men  and  hotels,  and  cure  by 
drying,  packing  into  barrels  the  other  parts.  Neither  are 
there  any  reliable  figures  obtainable  as  to  the  exact  number 
used  for  city  consumption;  it  is  probably  not  far  from. 


"96  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

150,000  head  for  the  entire  year.  But,  at  any  rate,  the  fig- 
ures which  have  been  gathered  from  the  most  reliable 
sources — the  packers  themselves — show  that  the  dressed 
meat  business  is  now  second  only  in  importance  to  that  of 
hog  packing.  The  following  carefully  prepared  tables  will 
show  the  number  of  cattle  killed  for  the  canning  and  dressed 
beef  trade  for  the  year  ending  in  February,  1883,  with  a 
comparison  for  the  preceding  year: 

Name.  1882-83.      1881-82. 

Swift  Bros.  &  Co. 198,000        164,684 

Armour  &  Co.  .... 156,806        102,210 

Libby,  McNeil  &  Libby 109,547        103,710 

Fairbank   Canning  Co. 109,525         81,610 

Geo.  H.  Hammond  &  Co. 108,000         90,000      • 

Other  houses  ..  .    92,534        112,664 


Total 774,412        654,878 

Of  the  above,  about  420,000  head  were  shipped  as 
dressed  beef.  The  following  table  shows  the  disposition  of 
-the  cattle  supply  for  the  past  year,  embracing  the  seasons 
1883-84. 

1883-84 

Shipped  alive 955,353 

Swift  Bros.  &  Co. (slaughtered)    330,000 

Armour&Co .      "  255,000 

Libby,  McNeil  &  Libby "  125,000 

Fairbank  Canning  Co .'. "  115,000 

Small  houses  and  the  General  Trade.  '•  115,020 


Totals 1,895,373 

Deducting  from  the  above  total  the  number  of  cattle 
shipped  alive,  we  have  940,020  as  the  approximate  number 
slaughtered  in  this  city  for  the  dressed  beef  and  canning 
trade,  being  an  increase  over  that  of  the  seasons  of  1882-83 
of  165,608. 

DRESSED    BEEF    ON    THE    PLAINS. 

Two  years  ago  there  was  considerable  talk  about  starting 
dressed  beef  establishments  on  the  plains  where  the  cattle  are 


CATTLE    PACKING.  97 

raised,  and  from  whence  they  are  shipped  on  the  hoof  to 
this  and  other  markets.  For  a  while  it  was  regarded  only 
as  "talk,"  but  it  has  long  since  assumed  a  tangible  shape. 
The  first  to  make  the  venture  was  the  Continental  Meat  Co., 
located  at  Victoria,  Texas.  This  in  1882 ;  others  rapidly 
followed,  and  now  there  are  slaughtering  establishments  at 
Fort  Worth,  San  Antonio  and  at  other  points  in  Texas ;  also 
at  Cheyenne,  in  the  territory  of  Wyoming.  While  it  is 
doubtless  true  that  the  dressed  beef  business  will  hardly 
grow  as  rapidly  on  the  plains,  as  it  has  further  East,  yet 
there  appears  to  be  no  lack  of  interest  in  it  as  a  business 
venture ;  and  plenty  of  shrewd  capitalists  can  be  found,  who 
are  willing  to  invest  their  money  and  try  their  fortunes  in  the 
dressed  beef  business  on  the  plains. 
7 


BLOOD  AND  OFFAL  DRYERS. 


A  reference  to  the  chapter  published  in  this  work  on  the 
pork  packing  interest  contains  a  statement  to  the  effect  that 
all  parts  of  the  hog  are  utilized  for  some  purpose. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  manner  in  which 
tank  refuse  or  offal  and  blood  is  treated  in  order  that 
they  may  be  used  thereafter  for  fertilizing  purposes,  and 
the  machine  employed  for  that  purpose  in  some  of  Chicago's 
largest  packing  houses: 

The  refuse  matter  after  being  taken  from  the  tank  is 
dropped  into  vats  underneath,  where  whatever  remaining 
grease  there  may  be  is  skimmed  off.  The  offal  is  then  run 
off  into  still  lower  vats  located  in  the  press-room,  re-heated 
by  steam  and  transferred  to  the  presses,  where  a  large  per- 
centage of  grease  and  water  is  extracted.  From  the  presses 
the  remaining  refuse  falls  into  a  hopper  underneath  mounted 
as  a  conveyor,  and  which  transfers  the  material  into  an 
elevator,  by  means  of  which  it  is  raised  into  the  drying- 
machine,  about  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  from  which  it 
emerges  perfectly  dry  and  drops  into  an  elevator  which 
carries  it  up  to  the  cooling  and  storage  room  above.  When 
ready  for  shipment,  it  is  thrown  through  hoppers  in  the  floor 
into  bags  resting  on  scales,  on  which  it  is  weighed 

The  drying  apparatus  is  of  a  very  recent  and  improved 
pattern,  and  is  made  in  lengths  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet. 
It  consists  of  an  inner  and  an  outer  shell,  having  between 
them  a  three-inch  steam  space.  The  inner  of  these  shells  is 


BLOOD  AND  OFFAL  DKYEKS.  99 

made  with  three-fourth  inch  thick,  and  the  outer  five-sixteenth 
inch  thick  C.  H.  No.  1  iron  of  50,000  pounds,  tensile 
strength,  both  being  well  stayed  with  three-fourth  inch  stay- 
bolts,  set  seven  inches  apart,  so  as  to  counteract  the  pressure 
of  the  steam  against  the  shells.  Located  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  inner  shell  is  the  agitator  or  shaft.  It  is  furnished 
with  eight  rows  of  stirrers  or  scrapers,  made  of  ||x2^-inch 
wrought  iron,  and  bolted  to  the  circumference  of  the  shaft 
with  two  five-eighth  inch  bolts.  These  stirrers  are  arranged 
spirally,  and  act  as  a  conveyor  to  carry  the  material  from 
one  end  of  the  shell  to  the  other  during  the  process  of 
drying.  The  ends  or  journals  of  the  shaft  are  made  of  cast 
steel  four  inches  in  diameter.  The  shaft  proper,  which  is 
fourteen  inches  in  diameter,  is  run  at  about  250  revolutions 
per  minute,  causing  the  material  to  be  thrown  up  and 
suspended,  to  a  large  degree,  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
cylinder,  thus  disintegrating  and  exposing  each  particle  of 
it  to  the  heating  surface  of  the  shell.  The  use  of  steel 
.bearings  enables  the  shaft  to  be  run  at  a  greater  velocity 
than  heretofore  practicable,  and  with  less  friction,  and  the 
high  speed  produces  increased  and  better  material.  The 
drying-machine  is  operated  by  a  pulley  on  each  end  driven 
by  line  shafting  overhead.  The  drying  capacity  of  these 
appliances  is  about  750  pounds  of  blood  or  850  pounds  of 
offal  per  hour.  The  space  between  the  shells  is  supplied 
with  steam  by  a  2^-inch  pipe  from  a  boiler.  The  condensa- 
tion occurring  between  the  shells  is  drawn  off  by  means  of 
a  steam-trap.  All  vapors  arising  from  the  materials  in 
process  of  drying  are  exhausted  from  the  dryer  at  the  top 
or  feed  end  through  a  sixteen  inch  pipe  by  means  of  an 
exhaust-fan.  They  are  blown  into  a  condenser,  where  the 
obnoxious  vapors  are  condensed  and  discharged  into  the 
sewer.  It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  this  dryer 
is  automatic,  both  in  its  feed  and  discharge,  and  reduces  the 


100  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

labor  necessary  to  treat  the  material  to  a  minimum.  The 
workmanship  on  these  appliances  is  of  a  high  character,  and 
it  is  claimed  for  them  that  they  largely  reduce  the  cost  of 
preparing  the  refuse  for  fertilizing  purposes. 

The  Excelsior  Boiler  Works,  341  to  345  South  Canal 
Street,  Chicago,  are  the  makers  of  these  machines  under 
Gubbins'  patent. 


INSURANCE. 


The  vast  business  interests  centered  in  Chicago  render  it 
natural  that  the  various  insurance  companies  of  the  world 
should  come  here  for  business,  yet  no  city  in  the  world  ever 
gave  to  insurance  men  such  a  painful  surprise  as  did  Chi- 
cago in  1871. 

The  total  loss  by  the  fire  was  estimated  at  over  $200,- 
000,000,  on  which  the  companies  had  risks  amounting  to 
over  $125,000,000,  of  which  considerably  over  one-half  was 
paid,  in  round  numbers  $80,000,000,  and  while  resulting  in 
the  ruin  of  a  large  number  of  companies,  between  sixty  and 
seventy  made  for  themselves  a  grand  record  for  honesty  and 
uprightness  in  business.  In  1871  there  were  sixteen  local 
companies  and  a  large  number  of  outside  companies  doing 
business  in  this  city.  To-day  there  are  six  local  companies 
and  forty-seven  agencies,  representing  one  hundred  and 
seventy  companies.  The  laws  of  Illinois  are  not  only  so 
perfectly  adapted  in  themselves  to  the  prevention  of  fraud, 
but  are  so  efficiently  and  vigilantly  administered  that  the 
fact  of  a  company  doing  business  in  this  State  is  a  complete 
guarantee  of  its  financial  soundness  and  prudent  manage- 
ment, and  many  of  the  companies  of  Great  Britain  and  Ger- 
many, as  well  as  the  United  States,  have  branch  organiza- 
tions in  Chicago. 

There  are  two  boards  of  underwriters  in  this  city.  The 
"Chicago  Board  of  Underwriters,"  established  1856,  E.  W. 
Hosmer,  President,  Thomas  A.  Bowden,  Secretary,  with  a 

101 


102  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

membership  of  twenty-five,  representing  eighty-six  companies, 
and  the  "Underwriters'  Exchange,"  established  in  1879, 
Mr.  E.  M.  Teall,  President,  Ealph  N.  Trimmingham,  Secre- 
tary, with  a  membership  of  twenty-two,  representing  eighty- 
four  companies,  both  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  amount 
paid  these  companies  last  year  for  premiums  was  $2,800,000, 
and  the  average  rate  of  risks  was  one  per  cent,  making  the 
total  amount  of  the  risks  written  $280,000,000. 

The  efficiency  of  the  Fire  Department  and  the  Fire 
Insurance  Patrol  is  universally  admitted,  and,  owing  to  the 
great  care  exercised  in  taking  risks,  the  proportion  of  losses  is 
remarkably  small,  and  the  various  agencies  are  prosperous. 

Following  will  be  found  to  be  leading  representative 
companies  and  agencies  in  Chicago: 

The  City  of  London  Fire  Insurance  Co.  of  England. 

This  company  on  its  entrance  to  the  United  States  for 
the  transaction  of  business,  made  the  largest  initial  deposit 
ever  made  by  any  foreign  company  for  the  protection  of  its 
American  patrons.  This  deposit  has  been  steadily  increas- 
ing in  proportion  to  its  business.  John  C.  Paige,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  is  the  resident  manager  for  the  United  States,  and 
Edwin  A.  Simonds,  153  Labile  street,  Chicago,  111.,  is 
general  agent  for  the  Western  department.  Its  Chairman 
(or  President)  in  London,  is  Sir  Henry  E.  Knight,  late 
Lord  Mayor  of  London.  Davis  &  ReQua  are  local  agents 
in  Chicago. 

H.  J.  Straight  &  Co.,  150  LaSalle  street;  Sun  Fire  Office 
of  London. 

Carl  Hun  eke,  manager  Chicago  branch  office,  92  LaSalle 
street;  Germania  Fire,  New  York. 

George  W.  Montgomery  &  Co.,  151  LaSalle  street; 
American,  Newark;  Fireman's,  Newark;  Exchange  Fire, 
New  York;  Sterling,  New  York;  Germania,  New  York; 
Lloyd's  Plate  Glass,  New  York. 


INSURANCE.  103 

O.  W.  Barrett,  172  LaSalle  street;  Continental,  New 
York;  Merchants',  Newark;  Newark  Fire,  Newark ;  Virginia 
Fire  and  Marine,  Richmond. 

K.  W.  Hosmer  &  Co.,  154  LaSalle  street. 

Edward  M.  Teall  &  Co.,  156,  158  LaSalle  street. 

PLATE    GLASS    INSURANCE. 

The  many  ways  in  which  accidents  to  Plate  Glass  may 
occur  suggests  to  the  careful  business  man  that  it  is  his 
duty  to  guard  against  loss  by  the  carelessness  of  others,  and 
is  equally  as  important  to  insure  his  Plate  Glass  against 
accident  as  his  property  against  fire. 

The  Lloyd's  Plate  Glass  Insurance  Company  of  New 
York,  of  which  George  W.  Montgomery  &  Co.,  of  No.  151 
La  Salle  street,  are  the  Chicago  agents,  is  formed  for  the 
purpose  of  insuring  risks  of  this  character,  as  well  as  Plate 
Glass  Mirrors  and  Show  Cases  from  all  accidents  not  cov- 
ered by  fire  policy. 

The  company  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States,  having  a  cash  capital  of  $100,000. 

Total  assets  January  1,  1884 $156,548  96 

Total  liabilities 11,298  13 

Leaving  a  surplus 145,250  83 

This  company  in  case  of  loss  not  only  saves  the  insured 
money,  but  also  trouble  and  delay,  as  immediately  upon 
notification  the  agents  of  the  company  replace  the  broken 
glass.  Owing  to  their  large  business,  they  have  frequently 
over  one  hundred  breakages  per  month,  and  their  gross 
losses  for  the  last  year  were  $42,000. 

ACCIDENT  INSURANCE. 

It  would  seem  that  the  laws  governing  natural  causes 
apply  not  only  to  those  acts  which  benefit  and  ennoble  the 
race,  but  as  well  to  those  that  deprive  it  of  its  power  of 


104  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

enjoying  life,  aye,  even  of  life  itself  in  perfect  ratios,  vary- 
ing only  slightly  from  climatic  or  other  causes.  Thus  the 
number  of  accidents  or  deaths  from  railway  disasters  vary 
litttle  year  in  and  year  out,  for  as  lines  are  extended  and  an 
increased  number  added  to  the  traveling  public,  so  are 
inventors  steadily  at  work  to  invent  new  safeguards  to  pro- 
tect the  traveler  from  peril. 

Thus,  as  in  the  case  of  fires  or  deaths  by  natural  causes, 
disabilities  and  deaths  from  pure  accident,  can  be  accurately 
and  systematically  graded,  and  insurance  against  accident 
becomes  as  universal  as  in  the  case  of  fire  and  death.  Any 
person  pursuing  his  ordinary  vocation  with  its  attendant 
train  of  hazards,  can  be  protected  pecuniarily  should  any- 
thing happen  to  deprive  him  of  the  ability  to  earn  his  liveli- 
hood by  the  trade  or  calling  to  which  he  was  accustomed. 
But,  say  many,  accident  insurance  applies  only  to  the  travel- 
ing public,  who,  taking  their  grip  in  one  hand  and  their  life 
in  the  other  traverse  the  world,  either  for  pleasure  or  profit. 
Not  so!  Accident  insurance  applies  to  all.  The  banker 
sitting  in  his  counting-room  may  be  struck  and  disabled  by 
a  missile  thrown  by  a  careless  boy  or  a  reckless  man. 

The  clerk  crossing  the  street  may  be  run  over  by  a 
swiftly  driven  cab.  The  mason  may  fall  from  or  with  a 
scaffold,  and  not  only  these  but  innumerable  other  instances 
as  well. 

By  careful  living  we  protect  ourselves  from  disease. 
Who  can  protect  himself  against  sudden  accident  or  calamity 
from  causes  over  which  he  has  no  control  ? 

The  Accident  Insurance  Company  of  North  America 
was  organized  for  exactly  this  line  of  insurance — to  indem- 
nify for  all  bodily  injuries  sustained  or  effected  through 
external,  accidental  and  violent  means.  The  conditions  of 
the  policies  are  broad  and  liberal,  and  it  possesses  a  high 
reputation  for  reliability.  It  has  paid  thousands  of  losses, 


INSUEANCE.  105 

and  in  addition  to  the  deposit  required  by  the  Insurance 
Department,  has  funds  available  for  that  purpose  in  the 
principal  cities  of  the  United  States. 

Its  home  office  is  Montreal,  but  it  has  agencies  through- 
out the  United  States  and  Canada  as  well.  The  agency  for 
the  West  and  Northwest  was  established  in  Chicago  in  1882, 
by  Larrabee  Bros.,  177  LaSalle  street. 

The  idea  at  this  time  in  the  West  was  a  new  one,  con- 
fined almost  exclusively  to  travelers,  but  by  their  efforts,  and 
the  employment  of  energetic  men  to  assist  them,  the  busi- 
ness has  been  so  thoroughly  canvassed,  and  its  merits  so 
widely  disseminated,  that  to-day  it  is  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar methods  of  insurance.  The  business  in  Illinois  alone 
has  increased  from  $24,000  premiums  received  in  1882  to 
$67,000  in  1883,  with  a  still  larger  increase  for  1884  The 
local  agents  are  Wheeler  &  Gaylord,  No.  183  LaSalle  street, 
who  superintend  the  agencies  in  Iowa  and  Illinois. 


ELECTRIC   LIGHTS   AND   APPLIANCES, 


The  past  decade  has  witnessed  phenomenal  advances  in 
the  field  of  electrical  discovery,  and,  as  the  subject  is  now 
engaging  the  attention  of  the  most  skilled  and  brilliant 
investigators,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  discoveries 
of  the  next  generation  will  transcend  even  the  surprising 
accomplishments  of  this. 

The  world  is  ripe  and  ready  for  any  marvel ;  no  announce- 
ment, however  incredible,  would  now  occasion  the  derision 
once  excited  by  the  possibility  of  telephonic  communica- 
tions. The  claims  of  inventors,  no  matter  how  extravagant, 
are  heard  with  respectful  attention ;  and  the  discoveries  of  man 
keep  pace  with  his  necessities.  That  it  would  be  either  pos- 
sible, or  desirable  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  Electric 
Lights  now  in  use,  few  will  contend,  since  for  a  powerful, 
brilliant,  constant  light,  they  leave  little  to  be  desired, 
indeed  there  is  no  demand  for  better  illumination  than  that 
furnished  by  the  various  companies  now  in  the  business, 
while  the  cost  compares  favorably  with  that  of  oil,  gas,  or 
any  other  method  of  illumination.  This  is  best  evidenced 
by  the  fact,  that  many  of  our  merchants,  transportation  lines, 
and  municipalities,  are  each  year  substituting  electricity  for 
the  primitive  lights  until  recently  so  universally  used. 

There  are  now  doing  business  in  this  city  seven  foreign 
electric  lighting  companies,  and  four  local  companies. 
They  have  all  been  established  or  located  in  Chicago  during 
the  past  three  years,  and  the  record  of  their  growth  during 

106 


ELECTRIC    LIGHTS   AND    APPLIANCES.  107 

that  time  is  scarcely  to  be  paralleled  by  any  other  industryr 
showing  as  it  does  at  the  close  of  the  second  year,  a  business 
amounting  to  $500,000,  while  the  rate  of  increase  thus  far 
in  1884  swells  the  total  for  the  third  year  to  over  one  million 
of  dollars. 

The  presence  in  this  city  of  every  prominent  Electric 
Light  Company  in  the  world,  the  consequent  rivalry,  and 
the  eagerness  of  each,  to  be  the  first  to  introduce  a  light 
into  a  new  town,  renders  Chicago  beyond  all  question  the 
best  market  in  the  world  for  buyers,  since  they  can  here  see 
in  constant  operation  all  the  different  systems  of  illumina- 
tion, and  examine  and  compare  their  merits  before  deciding 
which  is  best  suited  to  their  particular  purpose. 

Indeed,  the  competition  is  so  close  that  nothing  but  first- 
class  lights  are  offered  at  all,  and  those  at  prices  which  seem 
more  with  a  design  of  introducing  the  lights  than  of  mak- 
ing them  a  source  of  present  profit. 

It  is  believed  that  the  next  three  months  will  see  above 
one  thousand  additional  lights  in  operation  in  this  city 
alone. 

THE     SPERRY    ELECTRICAL    LIGHT    MOTOR  AND    CAR  BRAKE    CO. 

The  Sperry  system  of  electric  lighting  is  probably  more 
complete  within  itself,  and  includes  more  of  the  recent  dis- 
coveries and  attainments  essential  to  a  successful  and 
economical  system  of  lighting  than  any  other  one  system. 
The  two  systems,  arc  and  incandescent,  have  been  brought 
to  a  degree  of  excellence  verging  on  perfection.  Their 
entire  system  is  formed  upon  and  protected  by  patents  of 
their  own,  all  new,  and  obtained  within  the  past  two  years, 
and  cover  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Europe. 

Among  the  apparatus  pertaining  to  an  electric  lighting 
system,  the  dynamo  is  the  only  source  of  production  or  sup- 
ply, and  the  Sperry  Dynamo  has  45  per  cent,  the  advantage 


108  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

over  any  other  dynamo  made  of  similar  size,  the  other 
dynamos  having  but  one  magnetic  field,  an  outer  one. 
The  Sperry  has  two,  an  outer  and  inner  field  of  equal  inten- 
sity, thereby  doubling  its  working  capacity,  and  enabling  it 
to  maintain  and  supply  a  larger  number  of  lights  at  less 
expense  than  any  other  system. 

In  their  incandescent  system  they  use  a  dynamo  auto- 
matically regulated,  by  which  the  lights  in  the  circuit  can 
be  reduced  to  any  number  without  any  injury  to  the  dynamo 
or  the  remaining  lights,  the  dynamo  being  automatically 
regulated  to  supply  electricity  to  maintain  only  the  number 
of  lights  actually  in  use,  and  adapting  itself  from  the  whole 
number  on  the  circuit  to  a  single  light.  They  have  also  a 
system  of  lighting  by  which  they  produce  both  arc  and 
incandescent  lights  from  the  same  dynamo. 

The  Sperry  Lamp  is  operated  solely  and  automatically 
by  the  current  that  feeds  the  arc,  and  is  constant,  steady, 
and  reliable,  neat,  simple  and  efficient,  and  has  been  pro- 
nounced by  all  who  have  seen  its  workings,  a  marvel  of 
beauty,  and  has  given  universal  satisfaction  to  all  who  use 
it.  The  office  of  the  company  is  located  at  Nos.  370  and 
372  Wabash  avenue,  with  the  following  officers:  Garlusha 
Anderson,  President;  Lawrence  J.  Fitzgerald,  Vice- 
President;  Edwin  B.  Palmer,  Secretary  and  Treasurer; 
Elmer  A.  Sperry,  Electrician. 

THE    FULLER     ELECTRICAL    COMPANY 

has  its  head  office  at  37  West  14th  street,  New  York,  and 
its  Western  office  at  197  Madison  street,  Chicago.  This 
company  was  organized  in  1878,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  prominent  corporations  engaged  in  the  business  of 
electric  lighting ;  its  shareholders  and  directors  are  among 
the  leading  bankers  and  business  men  of  New  York  City. 
The  operations  of  the  company  extend  to  all  parts  of  the 


ELECTRIC    LIGHTS    AND    APPLIANCES.  109 

United  States,  Canada,  Mexico,  and  other  countries; 
and  in  the  city  of  Chicago  this  company's  system  of  lighting 
has  been  received  with  especial  favor  and  extensively  adopted. 
Under  an  extended  list  of  its  own  patents,  the  company 
manufactures  electric  motors,  dynamos,  electric  lamps,  and 
all  kinds  of  the  most  improved  appliances  pertaining  to  a 
complete  system  of  electric  lighting  Estimates  are  furnished 
for  every  description  of  electric  light  work,  and  particular 
attention  is  given  to  the  formation  of  local  companies  for 
the  purpose  of  operating  under  the  patents  and  rights  of 
this  system. 

WESTERN    ELECTRIC    COMPANY. 

The  Electric  Light  System  of  the  Western  Electric 
Company  is  complete  in  all  details,  and  produces  one  of  the 
brightest,  steadiest,  and  most  agreeable  arc  lights  known. 

This  company  is  well  known  in  many  branches  of 
electrical  manufacture.  Among  its  leading  products  are: 

Electric  Bells  and  Annunciators,  for  houses  and  hotels, 
including  the  new  Return  Call  and  Eire  Alarm  for  hotels. 

Subterranean  and  Aerial  Cables  of  all  kinds. 

Telegraph  Instruments. 

Automatic  Fire  Alarm  Apparatus. 

Edison  Electric  Pen. 

Electric  Gas  Lighting  Apparatus. 

The  factories  of  the  Western  Electric  Company  in 
Chicago,  New  York  and  Boston,  are  the  three  largest  of 
the  kind,  in  Amerca. 

Further  information  regarding  all  kinds  of  electrical 
goods  can  be  obtained  by  addressing  this  company. 

THE    GILL    &   SEGERDAHL    ELECTRIC    COMPANY 

have  always  in  stock  a  large  supply  of  electrical  apparatus, 
which  are  made  after  their  own  designs.  The  company 


110  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

make  a  specialty  of  fitting  up  hotels  with  a  thorough  system 
of  electrical  apparatus,  and  private  residences  as  well. 

THE  BADGEK  ELECTEIC  COMPANY 

was  organized  to  rent  lights,  and  its  plant  is  located  at  No. 
10  Arcade,  where  it  has  capacity  to  furnish  250  lights,  and 
at  the  present  time  rents  seventy-five. 

The  wires  are  carried  under  ground,  which,  as  before 
referred  to,  while  rendering  them  perfectly  safe,  is  the  cause 
of  much  expense,  although  the  plant  now  pays  a  return  of 
eight  per  cent,  on  the  investment,  which  shows  the  profitable 
nature  of  the  enterprise,  and  it  is  one  offering  special 
inducements  to  capitalists. 

Mr.  S.  S.  Badger  is  President  of  the  company.  Mr. 
Badger  is  the  only  "broker"  in  electric  lights  in  this  city. 
His  office  is  located  at  No.  175  Wabash  Avenue,  where 
information  of  every  description  regarding  every  conceivable 
electric  light  can  be  obtained. 

The  marked  advantages  possessed  by  some  systems  for 
certain  kinds  of  lighting  over  others,  renders  a  bureau,  as  we 
may  term  it,  for  information  similar  to  this  of  great 
importance.  Mr.  Badger  can  also  supply  lights  at  manu- 
facturers' prices,  and,  as  he  has  had  a  very  large  experience 
in  putting  up  dynamos,  wires,  etc.,  can  be  the  means  of 
saving  much  money  to  all  intending  purchasers. 


BREWING. 


There  is  reason  to  believe  that  in  the  future,  as  in  the 
past,  the  world  will  still  continue  the  use  of  stimulants,  and 
that  the  total  abstinence  of  any  civilized  people  is  entirely 
out  of  the  question.  Neither  does  it  seem  desirable,  since 
among  persons  of  the  simplest  habits  in  drink  and  diet  have 
never  been  found  the  most  robust,  industrious,  persistent 
and  successful  men.  The  tendency  of  the  times,  however, 
is  unquestionably  towards  the  disuse  of  distilled  and  the 
freer  use  of  natural  liquors,  a  change  which  cannot  fail  to 
be  a  benefit  to  the  world,  since  the  most  temperate  countries 
are  those  in  which  the  consumption  of  malt  and  vinous 
beverages  is  most  general.  This  is  plainly  evident  in  our 
own  case ;  as  a  people,  we  are  notably  less  intemperate  since 
the  introduction  of  German  beer.  The  abuse  of  distilled 
liquors  has  been,  in  a  great  measure,  supplanted  by  the  music, 
mirth  and  innocent  recreation,  which  invariably  attend  the 
use  of  a  beverage  at  once  harmless  and  exhilarating.  Thus, 
in  a  great  and  a  true  sense,  beer  is  a  temperance  drink. 
This  the  most  rabid  temperance  men  are  forced  to  recog- 
nize; yet,  when  they  are  driven  by  fair  argument  to  this 
position,  they  endeavor  to  avoid  an  admission  so  repugnant 
by  asserting  that  beer  creates  a  craving  for  ardent  spirits, 
and  in  that  way  leads  to  drunkenness.  That  this  is  without 
foundation  is  abundantly  demonstrated  by  the  revenue 
returns,  which  show  that  the  per  capita  consumption  of 
distilled  liquors  steadily  declines  with  the  increase  per 

111 


112  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

capita  consumption  of  beer.  The  fact  is,  inebriety  and  its 
attendant  crime  and  poverty  cannot  be  traced  to  malted 
liquors.  Men  have  recourse  to  ardent  spirits,  not  to  malt 
liquors,  when  they  wish  to  forget  their  misery,  to  subdue 
their  craving  for  food,  or  to  gain  strength  for  their  ceaseless 
toil.  "  Insufficient  food,"  says  Liebig,  "  drives  men  to  drink 
by  an  inexorable,  inevitable  law." 

In  proof  of  this,  it  is  instructive  to  remember  the  relative 
sobriety  of  wine  and  beer  drinking  countries.  In  Italy 
drunkenness  is  unknown,  yet  wine  is  the  only  beverage ;  the 
land,  however,  is  overrun  with  beggary,  which  certainly 
cannot  be  attributed  to  intemperance.  Again,  consider  the 
statistics  of  crime,  and  the  extraordinary  difference  between 
the  percentage  of  crimes  committed  by  the  Irish  and  Ger- 
mans, the  one  being  no  less  addicted  to  ardent  spirits  than 
the  other  to  beer.  A  further  evidence,  if  such  is  necessary, 
that  beer  is  not  provocative  of  turbulence  and  breaking  of 
law,  is  that  at  the  German  festival  held  last  year  at  Union 
Hill,  48,000  persons  were  assembled,  yet  there  were  only 
five  arrests  for  disorderly  conduct. 

Nevertheless,  in  the  face  of  fact  and  reason,  there  will 
always  be  a  class  of  fanatics  who  will  seek  to  regulate  by 
compulsory  laws,  the  lives  and  diet  of  their  fellow-men, 
always  forgetting  that  prohibitory  laws  are  the  oldest  fail- 
ures on  record,  that  in  fact  they  have  never  succeeded  in  a 
single  instance.  Prohibition  of  wine  to  the  Mahometans 
drove  them  to  the  more  destructive  and  degrading  use  of 
opium.  The  destruction  of  Chinese  vineyards  brought  into 
wide-spread  use  the  stronger  and  more  pernicious  liquor 
made  from  rice.  In  England  the  relatively  higher  tax  on 
beer  and  malt  than  on  distilled  liquors  led  to  an  enormous 
increase  in  the  sale  of  the  latter,  and  a  widely  prevalent 
and  terribly  increased  drunkenness.  In  our  own  country,  a 
number  of  our  States  have  made  a  series  of  empirical  exper- 


BREWING.  113 

iments  in  prohibitory  legislation,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to 
assert  that,  in  every  case,  the  results  were  notoriously  unsat- 
isfactory, if  not  indeed  demonstrated  failures.  Michigan 
gave  it  a  twenty  years'  test,  and  then  abolished  it  forever. 
Kansas  shows  an  increase  in  the  number  of  her  licenses,  as 
the  outcome  of  years  of  internal  strife.  In  Maine  the 
staunchest  supporters  of  prohibitory  laws  are  the  contra- 
bandists who  each  year  supply  that  State  with  more  liquor 
than  she  would  use  under  an  equitable  license  law,  while 
after  three  decades  of  prohibition,  she  has  six  times  more 
paupers  than  the  State  of  Minnesota,  exceeding  her  in  pop- 
ulation. Neither  have  high  licenses  proved  of  any  avail, 
fostering  immorality,  provoking  illicit  traffic,  and  aggra- 
vating the  evils  they  were  designed  to  check.  The  high 
license  system  does  not  affect  the  extremes;  the  gilded 
palaces  and  the  vilest  groggeries  thrive  equally,  finding  in 
high  license  a  protective  law  which  removes  their  competi- 
tors. One  class  only  is  seriously  and  exclusively  >  affected, 
and  that  is  the  law-abiding  middle  class,  our  best  citizens, 
who  find  the  respectable  resorts  closed,  and  that  the  greater 
facility  for  doing  an  illicit  business  in  ardent  spirits  results 
in  their  augmented  use,  and  the  banishment  of  the  more 
harmless  beverages. 

Little  by  little,  however,  we  are  learning  the  folly,  the 
futility  of  all  restrictive  laws,  and  that  the  least  objection- 
able are  those  which  foster  a  public  taste  for  lighter  drinks. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  great  German  national 
drink  has  made  its  way  among  the  nations  of  earth  is 
paralleled,  if  at  all,  only  by  the  wide-spread  and  phenomenal 
popularity  attained  by  tobacco  after  its  introduction  into 
Europe.  Though  it  is  only  of  comparatively  late  years  that 
the  brewing  of  beer  has  been  practiced  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  this  country,  it  soon  sprung  into  enormous  pro- 
portions, and  at  the  Paris  Exposition  American  beer 
triumphed  over  all  the  celebrated  continental  brewers. 
8 


114  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

There  are  mw  but  five  States  and  one  Territory  in  all 
our  land  which  do  not  contain  a  brewery  within  their  borders. 
These  are  Arkansas,  Florida,  Maine,  Mississippi,  Vermont 
and  the  Indian  Territory.  Yet  they  are  not  our  most 
prosperous  States,  indeed  their  prisons  are  always  full,  and 
no  one  ever  adopts  these  States  as  a  permanent  place  of 
residence  unless  he  is  compelled  to.  In  the  rest  of  the 
Union  the  sales  of  beer  during  the  past  year  show  an 
increase  of  a  million  and  a  half  barrels. 

The  first  ale  was  brewed  in  this  city  in  1840,  and  ten 
years  later  the  pioneer  brewery  of  Chicago  supplied  its  citi- 
zens with  beer  at  the  rate  of  thirty  barrels  per  day.  To-day 
our  city  ranks  sixth  in  the  United  States  in  the  output  of 
her  breweries,  which  are  among  the  most  extensive  in  the 
world.  This  city  produces  each  year  800,000  barrels  of 
beer,  which  require  in  brewing  5,000,000  bushels  of  malt, 
or  about  4,347,826  bushels  of  barley,  worth  on  an  average 
$1.00  per/ bushel;  yet  the  annual  consumption  in  Chicago  is 
not  all  of  home  manufacture,  in  1884  the  product  being 
743,458  barrels,  an  increase  of  66,905  barrels  over  the  pre- 
ceding year,  while  the  present  consumption  amounts  to  close 
upon  900,000  barrels. 

There  are  now  in  Chicago  thirty-one  breweries  of  all 
kinds,  having  an  invested  capital  of  nearly  $10,000,000,  and 
affording  employment  directly  to  fully  2,000  hands,  whose 
wages  will  aggregate  $1,500,000  per  year.  In  addition  to 
this  vast  sum,  as  much  more  is  paid  in  wages  to  the  labor 
employed  in  the  dependent  industries — the  cooper  shops, 
malt  houses,  glass  bottle  factories  and  kindred  concerns. 
If  we  now  make  a  very  moderate  estimate  as  to  the  number 
and  size  of  the  families  of  these  workmen,  it  will  be  seen 
that  there  are  no  less  than  .16,000  persons  in  this  city  who 
look  for  their  support  directly  to  the  breweries. 

Again,  the  beer  manufactured  in  this  city  is  worth  $8.00 


BREWING.  115 

per  barrel,  and  the  brewers  pay  the  United  States  Revenue 
Department  almost  $800,000  annually,  while  in  addition  to 
this  they  are  heavy,  contributors  to  the  State,  city  and  gov- 
ernment taxes. 

Though  most  of  the  breweries  here  own  their  own  malt 
houses,  there  are  fully  twenty  private  malt  houses  besides, 
all  of  whom  run  to  their  utmost  capacity  and  find  a  ready 
sale  for  their  malt. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  immense  amount  of  bar- 
ley consumed  by  this  industry,  and  the  vast  sum  of  money 
thus  distributed  among  the  farmers  of  Iowa,  Nebraska, 
California,  and  the  two  great  barley-producing  States  of 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  Besides  this,  however,  1,600,000 
pounds  of  hops  are  annually  required,  most  of  which  is 
brought  here  from  the  hop  fields  of  New  York,  California 
and  Washington  Territory. 

Of  all  the  industries  upon  which  the  brewing  of  beer 
bears  a  potential  and  beneficient  influence,  that  of  the  farmer 
reaps  the  most  direct  benefit.  When  we  consider  the  amount 
of  money  paid  during  the  last  year  for  barley,  hops,  hay  and 
oats,  it  is  a  self-evident  proposition  that  whatever  would 
affect  the  brewing  interest  would  retract  upon  the  agricultural 
as  well,  and  a  failure  of  a  market  for  the  two  chief  products 
indispensable  to  the  manufacture  of.beer — barley  and  hops — 
would  prove  most  disastrous  to  the  tiller  of  the  soil.  Con- 
nected with  this,  as  part  of  the  outside  employment,  are  the 
large  numbers  engaged  in  mining  coal,  glass  manufacturing, 
gathering  ice  and  furnishing  timber  for  cooperage,  vast 
quantities  of  each  being  used  in  the  brewing  business.  The 
amount  of  wages  alone  paid  by  these  industries  is  enormous, 
and  falls  within  the  scope  of  public  contributions  by  this 
gigantic  business.  So  can  be  estimated  the  wide  sweep  of 
disaster  which  would  follow  its  destruction,  or  even  the  cur- 
tailment of  its  operation,  not  to  mention  the  loss  of  revenue, 


116  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

which  has  played  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  payment  of 
the  National  debt,  and  which  yields  so  goodly  a  proportion 
to  the  support  of  the  States,  counties  and  cities,  freely  bear- 
ing the  burden  of  tax,  which  would  else  fall  upon  the  lands 
of  the  farmer,  or  be  wrung  from  the  meager  income  of 
labor. 

In  conclusion,  and  to  show  the  gigantic  scale  on  which 
American  breweries  are  conducted,  the  following  figures, 
compiled  from  recent  authorities,  will  not  be  uninstructive. 
The  United  States  produced  last  year  600,000,000  gallons 
of  beer,  England,  990,000,000  gallons,  and  Germany,  900,- 
000,000  gallons;  England  having  27,000  breweries,  Ger- 
many 25,000,  and  the  United  States  only  3,000.  This  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  individual  breweries 
in  this  country,  and  of  these  it  may  fairly  be  said,  that  those 
supplying  the  city  of  Chicago  are  unsurpassed  in  capacity, 
perfection  of  equipment,  or  in  the  quality  of  the  beer  pro- 
duced. 

Following  will  be  found  the  principal  breweries  of  Chi- 
cago and  those  that  supply  beer  for  this  city: 

Bemis  &  McAvoy  Brewing  Company.  J.  H.  McAvoy, 
President;  Albert  Crosby,  Vice-President  and  Superinten- 
dent; George  Dickinson,  Secretary;  Thomas  S.  Robinson, 
Treasurer. 

Conrad  Seipp  Brewing  Company.  Conrad  Seipp,  Presi- 
dent; T.  J.  Lefens,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

The  Bartholomae  &  Leicht  Brewing  Company.  Philip 
Bartholomae,  President;  Andrew  E.  Leicht,  Vice  President 
and  Treasurer;  John  J.  Voelcker,  Secretary;  George  Bar- 
tholomae, Superintendent. 

The  Wacker  &  Birk  Brewing  and  Malting  Company. 
F.  Wacker,  President;  Jacob  Birk,  Vice-President;  Charles 
H.  Wacker,  Treasurer  and  Secretary. 

Chicago  Union  Brewing  Company.  Frank  P.  O'Neill, 
proprietor.  Also  brews  ale  and  porter. 


BREWING.  117 

Phillip  Best  Brewing  Company.  Fredrick  Pabst,  Presi- 
dent; Emil  Schandein,  Vice-President;  Charles  Best,  Jr., 
Secretary. 

Franz  Falk  Brewing  Company.  Franz  Falk,  President; 
L.  W.  Falk,  Vice-President;  Frank  K.  Falk,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer.  A.  Barrenschien,  Chicago  agent. 

Joseph  Schlitz  Brewing  Company.  Henry  Uihlein, 
President;  Alfred  Uihlein,  Superintendent;  August  Uihlein, 
Secretary. 

J.  Obermann  Brewing  Company.  Charles  Duer,  Chicago 
agent, 

Cream  City  Brewing  Company.  Louis  P.  Best,  manager ; 
Louis  Schmuckers,  agent,  Chicago.  Branch,  13  and  15 
West  Ohio  Street. 

ALE  AND  PORTER. 

THE  BESLEY'S  WAUKEGAN  BREWERY,  WAUKEGAN,  ILLI- 
NOIS, was  established  in  1853. 

They  brew  nothing  but  ales  and  porters,  unsurpassed  for 
flavor,  purity  and  quality.  Their  bottled  ales  and  porters 
are  fast  taking  the  place  of  the  imported.  This  ale  was 
recommended  for  an  award  at  the  Centennial  Exposition. 

The  present  officers  of  the  company,  are :  William  Besley, 
President:  E  D.  Besley,  Secretary.  The  Chicago  depot 
is  located  at  No.  136  North  Jefferson  Street. 

T.  D.  Stuver,  sole  agent  for  Porter's  Joliet  extra  pale 
stock  ale  and  porter;  249,  251  and  253  Randolph  street. 


AGRICULTURAL  IMPLEMENTS. 


Situated  at  the  head  of  the  great  inland  seas  of  the  con- 
tinent, and  being  the  centre  and  radiating  point  of  the 
greatest  railroad  system  of  the  world,  Chicago  has  been 
from  an  early  day  recognized  as  a  distributing  point 
unequaled  for  its  facilities  and  advantages. 

Thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  when  manufacturing  at  the 
West  was  comparatively  unknown,  immense  cargoes  of 
farming  implements  of  every  conceivable  kind  were  shipped 
around  the  Lakes  to  Chicago  from  Boston,  New  York  and 
Albany,  and  from  here  distributed  by  river  and  canal,  before 
railroads  were  in  use,  through  Illinois,  Indiana,  Missouri  and 
the  then  young  Northwest.  Every  implement  that  the  farmer 
neededin  those  days,  from  a  hand  hay -rake  to  a  threshing 
machine,  was  imported  from  the  East.  But  this  state  of 
affairs  long  since  changed. 

There  never  has  been,  and  perhaps  never  will  be,  a  very 
large  retail  trade  in  agricultural  implements  in  Chicago,  for 
the  reason  that  the  land  for  many  miles  around  the  city  is 
peculiarly  unsuited  for  profitable  farming,  being  flat,  unin- 
viting prairie,  and  fit  for  little  else  than  the  simplest  market 
gardening  business.  But  what  the  business  lacked  in  the 
retail  way,  it  has  made  up  immensely  in  the  jobbing  and 
wholesale  business.  So  noted  and  important  has  Chicago 
become  in  this  line  within  the  last  twenty  years,  that  all 
Eastern  manufacturers  who  expect  to  share  any  of  the 
immense  agricultural  implement  business  of  the  great  West 

118 


AGRICULTURAL    IMPLEMENTS.  119 

feel  the  absolute  necessity  of  having  a  representative  and  a 
branch  warehouse  here  with  adequate  shipping  facilities. 
Here,  therefore,  can  be  found  the  representatives  of  all  the 
Plow,  Cultivator,  Seeder,  Harrow,  Corn  Planter,  Reaper, 
Mower,  Thresher,  Farm  Steam  Engine,  Corn  Sheller,  Hay 
Rake  and  Wagon  manufacturers  of  the  country  at  large,  for 
this  business  of  manufacturing  has  long  since  ceased  to  be 
an  exclusively  Eastern  industry,  ^and  has  gradually  been 
moving  westward,  and  accommodating  itself  to  the  enlarged 
requirements  of  the  country. 

The  great  tide  of  emigration  that  has  been  pressing 
westward  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  has  very  naturally 
carried  with  it  many  of  the  enterprising  manufacturers  of 
farm  implements,  who  have  located  at  eligible  points 
throughout  the  West,  [Lsuch  as  Racine,  Milwaukee, 
Minneapolis,  Sterling,  Freeport,  Rockford,  Peoria,  Decatur 
and  Davenport.  In  like  manner  these  Western  manufacturers 
are  compelled  in  the  nature  of  things  to  seek  representation 
in  this  great  city  of  clearance  and  exchange. 

Though  possessed  of  no  natural^  advantage  of  water 
power,  its  geographical  position  pointed  [Chicago  out  in 
early  days  as  a  very  superior  manufacturing  point,  and 
those  who  were  sagacious  enough  to  locate  works  here  have 
profited  immensely  by  their  forethought.  Its  nearness  to 
the  forests  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Indiana,  to  the  iron 
and  copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior,  the  lead  and  zinc  of 
Galena,  and  the  coal  fields  of  Northern  Illinois,  together 
with  its  unequaled  shipping  facilities  both  by  water  and 
rail,  give  it  advantages  in  a  manufacturing  point  of  view 
second  to  no  other  city  on  the  continent. 

In  the  business  of  agricultural  implements,  there  is  to- 
day more  capital  invested,  more  men  employed,  and  more 
machines  manufactured  in  Chicago  than  in  any  other  city 
in  the  world,  for  America  leads  the  world  in  this  business. 


120  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

This  is  but  the  natural  result  of  the  unparalleled  growth 
and  development  of  the  Northwestern  empire,  of  which 
Chicago  is  the  capital  and  emporium. 

The  settlement  and  subjugation  of  the  lands  of  the  West 
from  wild  prairie  into  fruitful  farms  is  little  short  of  a 
miracle.  Chicago  was .  the  focal  point  of  this  emigration, 
and  the  point  to  where  the  "implements  were  made  and  fur- 
nished, which  in  the  hands  of  these  new  settlers  worked 
such  wondrous  changes  in  the  Western  wilds,  and  now  the 
wealth  of  this  enriched  country  is  flowing  back  to  Chicago 
as  its  source  and  fountain. 

As  representative  and  typical  of  this  immense  agricul- 
tural implememi|  business,  by  right  of  pre-eminence,  stands 
the  McCormick  Harvesting  Machine  Company,  which  can 
trace  a  history  back  to  1831,  the  year  when  the  late  Mr. 
Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  invented  the  reaping  machine  in 
Virginia.  With  a  business  sagacity  only  equaled  by  his 
wisdom  as  a  great  inventor,  he  early  saw  that  Chicago  was 
bound  to  be  a  place  of  great  prominence,  and  here  he  built 
his  first  reaper  works  in  1847,  where  700  reaping  machines 
were  built  in  the  succeeding  year.  The  demand  for  these 
well-known  machines  has  grown  steadily  apace  from  year  to 
year,  until  the  enormous  number  of  54,841  were  built  and 
sold  in  1884. 

This  is  the  largest  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the 
world,  and  Chicago  may  well  feel  proud  of  it,  as  a  worthy 
representative  of  the  city's  marvelous  growth.  The  works 
employ  1,600  men.  Situated  on  Western  and  Blue  Island 
Avenues,  they  occupy  an  enclosure  of  twenty-four  acres. 
The  massive  buildings  devoted  exclusively  to  the  manufact- 
ure of  harvesters,  binders,  reapers  and  mowers  in  every 
variety,  are  four  stories  high,  and  cover  an  area  of  565  feet 
front  by  740  feet  deep,  giving  over  thirty  acres  of  floor 
space.  To  the  rear  lies  the  Chicago  River,  affording  easy 


AGRICULTURAL    IMPLEMENTS.  121 

access  for  heavy  laden  vessels  with  lumber,  iron  or  coal, 
while  railroad  tracks  encircle  and  traverse  the  grounds  in 
every  direction. 

It  would  require  days  to  inspect  these  mammoth  works 
in  detail  through  the  wood  working,  iron  working,  fitting 
up,  painting,  decorating  and  packing  departments.  These 
works  can  boast  of  a  foundry  having  the  largest  molding 
floor  under  one  roof  in  the  world  where  from  fifty  to  sixty 
tons  of  iron  are  converted  into  machine  castings  daily.  Two 
immense  fire-proof  warehouses  capable  of  holding  25,000 
finished  machines,  worth  millions  of  dollars,  are  well  worth 
a  long  journey  to  see.  Piled  up  high  the  boxes  lie  in  great 
tiers,  reminding  one  of  the  silent  Catacombs  of  Borne,  and 
yet  unlike  them  in  another  sense,  for  in  a  few  short  months 
every  casket  now  entombed  here  will  have  a  resurrection, 
amid  rejoicings  under  sunny  skies  in  some  harvest  field, 
somewhere  throughout  the  earth,  bringing  peace  and  plenty 
to  its  possessor,  and  scattering  blessings  in  its  path.  From 
here  the  important  work  of  shipping  is  carried  on  at  the 
rate  of  thirty  to  forty  cars  per  day. 

There  is  a  poetry  in  this  business  of  manufacturing  and 
shipping  such  goods  for  world  wide  use  and  in  following 
them  in  imagination  as  they  begin  to  separate  on  their 
journey,  some  to  find  a  quiet  home  on  the  prairies  of  the 
great  West,  others  in  the  East,  sunny  South,  or  on  the 
Pacific  Slope,  while  others  must  pass  over  two  continents  to 
reach  the  shores  of  Russia,  or  cross  the  Equator  to  find  a 
destination  in  Africa,  New  Zealand,  South  America,  or 
Australia,  among  peoples  of  different  habits,  tastes  and  sur- 
roundings, but  who  are  all  alike  in  their  appreciation  of  and 
preference  for  the  McCormick  Harvesting  Machines. 


DRY   GOODS. 

WHOLESALE. 

A  number  of  causes  which  it  would  be  impossible  to 
parallel  elsewhere  have  conspired  to  render  the  jobbing 
interests  of  this  city  a  business  of  colossal  magnitude,  chief 
of  which  is  the  vast  area  embracing  seventeen  States  and  all 
of  the  Territories,  which  from  their  geographical  position 
turn  naturally  to  Chicago  as  a  base  of  supplies. 

Of  these  the  dry  goods  jobbers  are  unquestionably  in  the 
lead,  both  in  the  amount  of  capital  invested  and  the  extent 
and  importance  of  their  transactions. 

This  business  is  divided  between  commission  houses  who 
receive  their  goods  directly  from  the  mills  and  dispose  of  them 
by  sample,  in  bulk  or  unbroken  cases,  and  jobbers  proper,  who 
sell  from  their  own  stock,  supplying  the  trade  as  well  as  the 
smaller  wholesale  houses,  which  are  springing  up  from  year 
to  year  in  many  of  the  minor  Western  cities. 

A  number  of  the  larger  commission  firms  advance  the 
money  to  operate  the  mills  they  represent,  receiving  pay- 
ment later  in  the  articles  thus  manufactured.  The  usual 
course,  however,  of  commission  merchants,  is  simply  to  effect 
the  sales,  becoming  surety  for  the  debt  which  they  collect 
and  forward  to  the  producer  less  their  commission. 

The  assertion  that  the  legitimate  dry  goods  jobbing 
houses  of  this  city  are  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the  United 
States,  may  prove  a  source  of  surprise  to  those  who  have 
given  the  subject  little  attention,  and  indeed  it  does  appear 
incredible  when  we  remember  that  the  business  interests 

122 


DRY    GOODS WHOLESALE.  123 

of  Chicago  date  in  one  sense  from  the  fire  of  1871.  Still 
the  claim  is  abundantly  supported  by  fact,  though  the 
aggregate  annual  sales  of  a  few  firms  in  New  York  are 
somewhat  greater  when  they  include  their  sales  on  commis- 
sion as  agents  of  the  mills. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  account  for  the  phenomenal  develop- 
ment of  this,  as  of  all  branches  of  industry,  when  we  reflect 
that  the  broad  Western  States  are  continually  opening  new 
avenues  of  communication  with  Chicago  and  the  East,  and 
doubling  in  population  every  few  years.  Besides  this  the 
large  Western  dealers  who  formerly  went  to  New  York, 
have  of  late  discovered  the  manifold  advantages  of  purchas- 
ing supplies  at  a  nearer  market,  to  which  they  can  make 
frequent  visits  with  a  saving  both  of  time  and  money. 

Again,  they  can  generally  save  in  prices,  while  finding 
more  extensive  and  varied  stocks  from  which  to  choose, 
since  many  of  the  staple  fabrics  most  largely  consumed  in 
the  West  and  Northwest  are  handled  in'greater  quantities  by 
Chicago  jobbers.  Of  these  are  the  goods  designed  for 
general  wear  and  usefulness  of  the  best  material,  strong  and 
serviceable,  in  which  durability  has  not  been  sacrificed  to 
extreme  fineness  and  finish.  Another  important  item  is  the 
saving  effected  in  freights ;  not  only  is  the  trade  becoming 
even  more  dependent  on  the  manufacturing  done  here,  but 
many  of  the  most  desirable  of  the  heavy  cotton  fabrics  have 
of  late  been  placed  on  the  market  by  the  mills  of  the  South 
and  West,  this  competition  with  the  Eastern  States  leading 
manufacturers  to  consign  goods  to  Chicago  with  all  freight 
charges  paid. 

Again,  a  consideration  which  no  buyer  can  afford  to 
underestimate,  is  that  the  merchant  who  in  earlier  years 
purchased  his  needed  supplies  by  one,  or  at  most  two,  annual 
trips  to  New  York,  had  invariably  left  on  his  hands  a  stock 
of  goods  depreciated  more  or  less  in  value,  when  any  causes, 


124  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

failure  of  crops  or  a  period  of  financial  depression,  resulted 
in  a  bad  business  year. 

This  indeed  has  been  one  of  the  most  influential  among 
the  reasons  inducing  him  to  replenish  his  stock  quarterly, 
or  even  monthly,  at  Chicago. 

Lastly,  to  the  dealer  coming  here  for  supplies  in  certain 
lines,  there  are  many  and  obvious  advantages  in  obtaining 
all  he  requires  from  the  same  house  or  city. 

It  will  also  be  readily  seen  that,  having  resident  buyers 
abroad,  our  leading  jobbers  fear  no  competition  in  supplying 
the  trade  with  imported  goods.  Indeed,  singular  as  it  may 
at  first  appear,  they  can  actually  undersell  the  Eastern 
houses,  since  the  cost  of  transportation  from  Europe  to 
Chicago  direct  is  considerably  less  than  if  the  same  goods 
were  consigned  to  New  York  and  re-shipped  to  Western 
points ;  besides  which  in  the  former  case,  there  are  no  profits 
of  middle  men  to  be  deducted. 

As  Chicago  is  the  natural  market  for  the  produce  of  the 
West,  it  is  almost  of  necessity  the  great  center  for  the 
purchase  or  exchange  of  products;  even  the  trade  of 
the  Pacific  Coast,  controlled  until  recently  by  the  East, 
is  being  rapidly  absorbed  by  houses  in  this  city,  the  past 
twelve  months,  showing  the  surprising  increase  of  nearly 
fifty  per  cent,  over  previous  years. 

The  annual  business  of  Chicago  jobbers  is  in  excess  of 
seventy  millions,  though  this  necessitates  a  capital  of  nearly 
thirty  millions,  since  the  larger  houses  find  it  desirable  to 
carry  more  complete  stocks  than  are  required  by  the  Eastern 
merchant  with  the  mills  at  his  door. 

The  bulk  of  this  immense  business  has  gradually  cen- 
tered in  some  half  dozen  or  more  great  houses,  though  other 
firms  successfully  devote  their  efforts  to  handling  special 
lines  of  goods. 

In   addition   to   these   are   the   commission  houses,  the 


DRY    GOODS WHOLESALE.  125 

immediate  representatives  of  manufacturers,  and  if  in  the 
foregoing  figures  we  now  include  the  transactions  thus 
effected  by  firms  as  agents  and  the  ever-increasing  business 
of  home  manufacturers  with  the  cloak-making  interest  at 
their  head,  the  claim  of  Chicago  to  be  the  largest  distribut- 
ing center  in  the  country  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  admitted. 

The  following  are  the  leading  dry  goods  jobbing  houses 
in  Chicago: 

Marshall  Field  &  Co. 

John  V.  Farwell  &  Co. 

Carson,  Pirie,  Scott  &  Co. 

Storm  &  Hill. 

James  H.  Walker  &  Co. 

Edson  Keith  &  Co.,  and  A.  S.  Gage  &  Co.,  though  not 
strictly  speaking  dry  goods  houses,  still  handle  so  many 
goods  comprised  under  this  classification,  that  we  would 
refer  our  readers  to  the  list  of  their  various  departments 
which  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  wholesale 
millinery  trade. 


DRY  GOODS. 

COMMISSION. 

The  time  was  when  all  the  Dry  Goods,  Woolen  and 
Clothing  Jobbing  and  Manufacturing  houses  were  obliged 
to  go  to  Boston  for  their  goods,  as  that  city  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Dry  Goods  Commission  houses,  by  degrees 
the  Boston  houses  established  branches  in  New  York ;  to  so 
great  an  extent  were  the  branch  houses  appreciated,  and  in 
the  course  of  time  their  sales  so  much  exceeded  tho^e  of  the 
parent  houses  that  it  was  found  not  only  profitable,  but 
necessary,  to  make  the  New  York  branch  the  main  house, 
and  such  of  the  houses  that  continued  their  Boston  offices 
at  all,  did  so  only  for  the  sake  of  the  home  trade.  This 
very  important  change  arose  from  the  necessity  of  the  seller 
being  as  near  the  buyer  as  was  practicable ;  that  it  was  so  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  of  all  buyers  from  commission  houses 
going  to  New  York  to  make  their  purchases  instead  of  to 
Boston  as  they  formerly  did. 

The  necessity  for  the  seller  to  be  on  the  spot  is  even 
greater,  so  far  as  Chicago  is  concerned,  owing  to  the  greater 
distance  from  the  mill  or  port  of  entry,  and  although  the 
Dry  Goods  Commission  business  of  Chicago  is  in  its  infancy 
it  is  of  great  enough  importance  to  be  very  far  from  insig- 
nificant, and  that  it  is  appreciated  is  evidenced  by  the  large 
purchases  made  by  the  leading  houses  of  this  and  the  other 
Western  Jobbing  markets  out  of  stock  here,  and  also  by 
the  disposition  of  the  buyers  to  give  the  man  at  the  Chicago 
end  the  preference,  all  things  being  equal. 

126 


DRY    GOODS COMMISSION.  127 

The  two  great  obstacles  to  the  Dry  Goods  Commission 
business  in  this  market  have  been  overcome;  the  first .v  as 
the  r.eluctance  of  consigners  to  send  any  goods  to  this 
market  that  had  not  first  been  sold ;  they  wanted  the  orders 
first.  As  an  illustration,  when  the  proposition  was  made  to 
a  leading  New  York  importing  house  to  open  a  branch 
house  in  or  consign  goods  to  Chicago,  there  to  await  being 
sold,  they  replied  that  when  they  wanted  to  open  a  branch 
house  anywhere  they  would  do  so  a  few  blocks  higher  up  on 
Broadway,  New  York,  but  that  neither  they  nor  anybody 
else  could  afford  to  carry  a  stock  of  goods  a  thousand  miles 
away.  They  were  prevailed  upon,  however,  to  try  the 
experiment,  and  with  a  consignment  of  two  cases  as  a 
nucleus,  their  representatives  here  have  gradually  impressed 
them  with  the  importance  of  this  feature,  until  now,  and 
for  the  past  two  years,  their  stock  of  goods  in  Chicago  has 
not  been  at  any  time  less  than  $75,000,  and  during  the  two 
busiest  seasons  exceeds  $100,000.  The  greater  number  of 
consigners  to  Chicago  Dry  Goods  Commission  houses  have 
been  ss  much  impressed  with  the  importance  of  consigning 
large  and  well  assorted  stocks  as  has  the  house  referred  to, 
and  the  result  has  been  generally  satisfactory  to  the  buyers. 

The  other  obstacle  was  the  fear  in  the  minds  of  some 
buyers  that  should  they  depend  upon  the  Chicago  stocks, 
they  might,  if  their  wants  became  urgent  at  times  have  to 
pay  more  for  the  goods  than  they  would  if  they  ordered  them 
from  New  York,  as  some  buyers  argued  that  if  a  New  York 
house  carried  a  stock  here  on  their  own  account  they  would 
have  to  pay  additional  rent,  salaries  and  incidental  expenses, 
and  that  those  expenses  would  have  to  be  borne  by  the  Chi- 
cago sales,  and  if  they  consigned  their  goods,  the  commis- 
sion they  paid  would  be  added  to  the  goods;  it  took  very 
little  figuring  to  convince  these  gentlemen  that  the  traveling 
expenses  of  a  salesman  were  a  larger  percentage  than  the 


128  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

percentage  of  expense ;  and  the  one  or  two  that  were  not  con- 
vinced by  the  figures  at  the  time  have  long  since  been  con- 
vinced by  the  facts,  as  their  very  large,  almost  daily,  pur- 
chases can  testify. 

The  enterprise  of  the  Chicago  business  men  has  become 
proverbial,  and  in  no  instance  has  it  served  them  any  better 
than  in  the  encourgement  of  the  Dry  Goods  Commission 
business  in  their  own  city,  and  their  encouragement  of  it 
has  been  so  hearty  and  sincere  as  to  make  it  necessary  for 
those  catering  to  their  wants  to  have  thoroughly  capable, 
energetic  and  intelligent  men  only  as  their  representatives; 
and  many  instances  can  be  related  of  enterprise  on  the  part 
of  Chicago  Commission  men  that  have  led  to  very  large 
transactions  at  even  closer  figures  than  could  be  obtained 
elsewhere. 

In  the  matter  of  importation  orders  for  instance,  and 
they  aggregate  in  amount  up  in  the  millions,  our  leading 
commission  houses  that  handle  foreign  goods,  Bradford  and 
Manchester,  as  well  as  Continental,  have  this  season  com- 
pleted arrangements  with  certain  very  large  European  man- 
ufacturers for  the  sale  of  their  goods,  the  sale  of  which  was, 
until  now,  restricted  to  one  or  two  New  York  houses,  where- 
by they  can  take  the  importation  orders  in  advance  of  the 
season,  have  the  goods  shipped  through  to  Chicago  in  bond 
without  delay  at  any  other  port,  and  not  only  make  their 
deliveries  promptly,  but  have  a  surplus  stock  for  the  jobbing 
houses  to  duplicate  from  during  the  season  as  often,  and  in 
qualities  large  or  small  as  they  may  want. 

The  same  influence  induced  the  London  manufacturers 
of  the  celebrated  Crown  Linoliums,  to  offer  their  goods 
through  Chicago  to  the  American  trade.  Until  the  spring 
season  of  1884,  a  certain  domestic  manufacturer  had  a 
monopoly  of  that  line  of  business ;  by  bringing  the  Crown 
goods  in  competition  with  them  the  Chicago  agent  forced 


DRY    GOODS COMMISSION.  129 

the  other  manufacturer  to  reduce  the  price  of  his  goods  ten 
cents  per  square  yard.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  trade 
appreciated  the  competition  to  so  great  an  extent,  that,  in  a 
very  short  time,  the  Chicago  agent  had  sold  J;he  capacity 
of  his  manufacturer  for  the  entire  season.  One  house 
could  at  first  not  be  induced  to  place  an  order,  as  they  could 
not  be  made  to  believe  but  that  the  representations  were 
exaggerated,  and  more  particularly  that  the  goods  would 
not  be  delivered  in  time;  finally  they  gave  quite  a  large 
order  on  the  condition,  and  the  condition  was  given  in 
writing,  that  if  the  goods  were  not  in  their  store  within  thirty 
days  from  the  day  the  order  was  given,  they  were  to  be 
released  from  any  obligation  to  take  them.  The  sale  was 
cabled  over,  conditions  and  all  particulars  in  cipher;  the 
goods  left  London  six  days  after  the  order  was  given,  the 
invoice  reached  Chicago  ten  days  after  they  were  shipped, 
and  the  goods  were  delivered  in  exactly  twenty-four  days 
after  the  sale  was  made. 

The  leading  Dry  Goods  Commission  Houses  of  Chicago 
are: 

Amidown  &  Smith,  A.  C.  Driggs,  Manager,  128  Franklin 
street. 

Brown,  Wood  &  Kingman,  177  La  Salle  street. 

Crittenden,  Thomas  S. ;  Agent,  Garner  &  Co.,  252 
Monroe  street. 

Haskell,  Brown  &  Co.,  247  Monroe  street. 

Howe,  John, 'and  W.  N.  &  Co.,  172  Adams  street. 

Klapp,  Jenkins  &  Co.,  245  Monroe  street. 

Moore,  W.  I.  &  Co.,  237  Monroe  street, 

Richardson,  Geo.  C.  &  Co.,  199  5th  avenue. 

Stern  &  Adams,  235  Monroe  street. 

Stodder  &  Long,  130  Franklin  street,  also  manufacturers 
knit  goods. 

R.  D.  Wood  &  Sons,  163  5th  avenue,  cotton  goods, 
silesias,  colored  cambrics,  bleached  muslins,  etc.,  Charles 
F.  Jencks,  Agent.  9 


SEWING     SILK. 


In  Chicago,  the  distributing  point  for  the  West  and 
Northwest,  are  agencies  of  the  leading  manufacturers  and 
and  dealers  of  Sewing  Silk,  Twist,  etc.,  some  six  in  number, 
whose  aggregate  sales  amount  to  about  one  million  dollars. 

It  is  said  that  the  art  of  reeling  silk  was  known  in  China 
nearly  2,000  years  B.  C.,  it  having  been  discovered  by  Sil ing 
Chi,  wife  of  Prince  Hoangti,  third  Emperor  of  China,  and 
that  homage  is  still  rendered  to  her  as  "  Goddess  of  Silk 
Worms."  So  well  did  the  Orientals  guard  the  secret  of  silk 
culture,  that  the  nature  of  the  fibre  was  unknown  in  Europe 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years  after  silk  fabrics  had  been 
introduced  there,  and  as  late  as  the  Christian  era  some  silk 
fabrics  were  worth  their  weight  in  gold.  But  notwith- 
standing a  Roman  Emperor  once  refused  to  purchase  a  silk 
robe  for  his  Empress,  on  account  of  its  expense  and  the  bad 
example  of  its  extravagance,  the  silk  worm  now  spins  for 
all ;  and  whether  fashion  decrees  that  garments  be  made  of 
silk  or  wool,  true  economy  dictates  that  they  all  be  sewed 
with  Spool  Silk,  to  supply  the  demand  for  which  the  Nono- 
tuck  Silk  Co.,  of  Florence,  Mass.,  use  over  100,000  feet  of 
floor  space,  on  which  the  various  processes  of  winding, 
doubling,  spinning,  reeling,  dyeing,  spooling,  including  the 
knitting  of  silk  hosiery,  and  underwear,  as  well  as  the  man- 
ufacture and  printing  of  spools,  are  carried  on,  giving 
employment  to  nearly  1,000  hands,  and  requiring  a  weekly 
supply  of  over  4,000  pounds  of  raw  silk,  yielding  an  aggre- 

130 


SEWING    SILK.  131 

gate  length  in  finished  sewing  silk,  twist,   embroidery    silk, 
and  Florence  knitting  silk  of  more  than  25,000  miles. 

The  average  length  of  fibre  produced  from  a  single 
cocoon  is  not  over  one  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  as  fully  one 
hundred  fibres  are  required  to  produce  sewing  silk  of  average 
thickness  and  strength,  it  appears  that  fully  two  and  a  half 
million  miles  of  this  gossamer  fibre  are  consumed  weekly  in 
the  manufacture  of  Corticelli  Spool  Silk,  to  produce  which 
more  than  10,000,000  silk  worms  are  stripped  of  their  robes. 
In  the  process  of  manufacture,  the  skeins  are  soaked  in  tepid 
soap  suds  for  several  hours,  to  soften  the  gum,  after  which 
they  are  placed  upon  light  swifts  and  wound  off  on  to 
bobbins,  which  are  then  placed  upon  pins  projecting  from 
the  bobbin-board  of  a  doubling  frame,  and  from  two  to  ten 
or  more  threads  drawn  off  collectively  on  to  one  bobbin,  which 
is  next  placed  upon  a  rapidly  revolving  spinning-frame 
spindle.  The  requisite  amount  of  twist  is  given  while  the 
thread  is  being  drawn  from  this  to  the  take-up  bobbin,  which 
has  motion  imparted  sufficient  to  give  the  desired  twist, 
after  which  it  is  again  doubled,  two  threads  being  used  for 
sewing  silk,  and  three  for  twist,  or  three-cord  sewing  silk, 
and  again  similarly  twisted,  but  in  the  opposite  direction. 

The  next  operation  is  reeling  into  small  skeins  for  skein 
silk,  or  large  hanks,  to  be  dyed  and  wound  upon  spools  as 
desired.  This  last  operation  is  rapidly  performed  on  a  par- 
tially automatic  machine,  on  which  an  expert  attendant  can 
wind  1,000  to  1,200  spools  of  100-yards  each  in  ten  hours, 
the  required  number  of  yards  being  gauged  by  the  number 
of  courses  or  layers  of  silk  wound  upon  each  spool.  This 
is  done  with  surprising  accuracy  at  the  Corticelli  Mills,  as 
shown  by  daily  tests  made  by  a  person  employed  for  the 
pupose,  and  recorded  in  book  form,  many  volumes  of  which 
have  been  filled.  The  record  for  one  year  shows  that  13,628 
tests  were  made  on  Corticelli  100-yards,  50-yards  and 


132  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

10-yard  spools  of  silk  yielding  an  aggregate  of  1,122  yards 
in  excess  of  those  stamped  on  the  spools,  an  average  of  one- 
twelfth  of  a  yard  on  each  spool  over  the  standard  claimed. 

The  variety  of  goods  manufactured  by  the  Nonotuck  Silk 
Co.  is  very  large,  and  to  supply  the  increasing  demand  for 
their  several  popular  brands,  two  new  mills  have  recently 
been  added  to  the  large  number  already  occupied. 

For  ordinary  family  sewing,  dress -making,  etc.,  Corti- 
celli  50-yards  and  100-yards  stands  absolutely  without  a 
rival  in  the  market,  and  wherever  they  have  been  brought 
in  competition  with  other  goods,  the  Corticelli  brand  has  in 
every  instance  carried  off  the  highest  premium,  several  gold 
medals  having  been  awarded  to  the  company  for  the  superi- 
ority of  their  goods,  showing  extreme  care  in  the  manu- 
facture. For  button-holes  Corticelli  10-yard  and  16-yard 
button-hole  twist  are  the  favorite  brands.  For  knitting 
fancy  work  of  all  kinds,  as  embroidery,  etc.,  the  following 
brands  are  universally  used  : 

Florence  Knitting  Silk  for  mittens,  stockings,  etc.,  Corti- 
celli Knitting  Silk  for  embroidery,  laces,  fringes  and 
macreme  work.  Corticelli  10-yard  Spool  Embroidery, 
Florence  Etching  Silk  for  outlines  in  art  embroidery. 
Florence  Darning  Silk  for  repairs  on  woolen  or  silk  gar- 
ments, such  as  hosiery  and  underwear.  Florence  Filling 
Floss,  etc. 

For  shoe  manufacturers  the  Nonotuck  Silk  Co.'s  Pure 
Dye  Machine  Twist  is  preferred  by  the  most  critical  judges 
in  this  line  of  business  all  over  the  United  States. 

For  clothing  and  merchant  tailoring  this  company  make 
a  specialty  of  several  brands  to  suit  the  variety  of  the  trade. 

Florence  Silk  underwear  recommended  by  physicians  in 
all  cases  of  rheumatism  and  nervous  diseases,  is  also  made 
by  this  company,  and  the  world-renowned  Florence  Silk 
Mittens  and  Ladies'  and  Gents'  Hosiery  are  also  the  produc- 
tions of  their  mills. 


SEWING    SILK.  133 

With  an  experience  of  nearly  fifty  years  in  the  business 
the  Nonotuck  Silk  Co.  are  able  to  produce  goods  of  the 
highest  grade  of  excellence,  and  such  manufacturers  may 
well  point  with  pride  to  their  record,  and  say,  "  Deserve  suc- 
cess and  you  shall  command  it." 

The  Chicago  branch  is  in  charge  of  Mr.  K.  W.  Hare, 
Manager. 


MILLINEKY. 


The  dealer  in  this  line  who  comes  to  Chicago  to  purchase 
goods  will  meet  with  a  number  of  startling  surprises.  In 
the  first  place  he  will  find  that  in  the  comparatively  few 
years  since  the  great  fire,  a  business  of  vast  magnitude  has 
sprung  up,  commensurate  indeed  with  the "  wide  extent  of 
territory  to  be  supplied.  In  the  second  place,  he  will 
discover  that  it  is  virtually  controlled  by  three  immense 
firms  whose  aggregate  business  exceeds  the  combined  total 
of  any  equal  number  of  millinery  houses  in  the  world. 
These  three  firms  occupy  the  three  largest  and  most  mag- 
nificent stores  that  can  be  found  anywhere,  devoted  to  the 
millinery  business.  Some  idea  of  their  immensity  can  be 
gained  from  the  simple  statement  that  they  each  comprise  a 
floor  surface  of  three  and  one-half  acres,  making  in  all 
more  than  ten  acres  of  millinery  goods. 

Again,  too,  the  buyer  will  find  that  the  Chicago  firms  in 
this  line  carry  continually  on  hand  stocks  more  extensive, 
varied  and  complete  than  are  to  be  found  in  any  other  city 
of  the  Union.  In  fact,  they  include  not  only  everything  per- 
taining to  Millinery,  such  as  Straw  Goods,  Flowers,  Feathers, 
Ribbons,  Velvets  and  Silks,  but  in  addition  to  these,  all 
articles  which  come  under  the  head  of  Ladies'  Furnishing 
and  Fancy  Goods,  Corsets,  Notions,  and  articles  of  under- 
wear, together  with  nearly  everything  else  in  the  Dry  Goods 
trade,  if  we  except  the  regular  staple  goods. 

134 


MILLINERY.  135 

It  has  been  frequently  stated  and  the  subject  of  some 
discussion,  that  the  Millinery  houses  of  this  city  could  and 
did  habitually  undersell  their  Eastern  rivals  in  the  markets 
of  the  West.  The  truth  of  this,  and  the  reasons  for  it, 
though  not  apparent  on  its  face,  may  be  readily  shown; 
indeed  the  entire  situation  may  be  given  in  a  few  words. 

A  certain  class  of  articles,  Ladies'  and  Children's  Hats, 
Corsets,  and  similar  specialties,  are  manufactured  extensively 
in  this  city,  the  three  large  Millinery  houses  already  spoken 
of,  each  having  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  Hats, 
Bonnet  frames,  etc.,  which  are  each  capable  of  turning  out 
4,500  daily.  Besides  these,  there  are  a  number  of  smaller 
factories  in  the  city,  which  together  can  make  4,500  per  day, 
making  a  total  capacity  of  18,000  Hats  and  Bonnets  daily. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  manufacture  of  Corsets,  the 
various  factories  here  having  a  capacity  for  the  manufacture 
of  4,000  Corsets  daily;  hence  these  goods  are  placed  upon 
the  market  direct  from  the  factories  with  a  saving  of  freight 
charges  and  the  profits  of  middlemen. 

Goods  of  foreign  manufacture  are  purchased  abroad 
from  first  hands,  and  as  they  are  imported  direct,  a  saving 
is  effected  in  importers'  profits,  and  in  freight,  since  through 
rates  are  always  cheaper  than  local  rates  for  the  same 
distance.  Lastly,  the  goods  manufactured  in  the  East  are 
furnished  to  Chicago  dealers  at  a  spacial  discount,  since  our 
jobbers  are  the  largest  in  the  world. 

That  these  various  sources  of  profit  inure  to  the  benefit 
of  the  retail  merchant  rather  than  to  the  jobber  is  owing  to 
the  uncompromising  rivalry  between  our  leading  millinery 
houses,  and  this  rivalry  has  made  Chicago  the  best  market 
in  the  world  in  which  to  buy  millinery.  This  competition  is 
so  keen  that  smaller  concerns  have  little  chance  of  obtaining 
any  foothold,  and  this  has  been  demonstrated  by  the  fact 
that  during  the  past  twenty-five  years  about  twenty-five  firms 


136  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

have  gone  under  in  the  effort  to  establish  themselves  here. 
The  houses  that  have  held  command  of  the  trade  are  strong 
in  every  sense  of  the  word ;  strong  in  financial  resources,  and 
managed  by  energetic,  keen,  experienced  business  men,  who- 
have  grown  up  themselves  with  and  in  the  Millinery  trade 
of  the  Northwest. 

It  is  difficult  to  overestimate  the  importance  to  this  city 
of  the  Millinery  manufacturing  interest,  engaging  as  it 
does  the  services  of  thousands  of  girls  and  women,  who 
receives  relatively  higher  wages  than  any  other  class  of 
female  labor. 

There  are,  as  we  have  stated,  three  distinctively  leading 
houses  in  this  line  of  business,  besides  a  number  of  smaller 
firms,  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  dealing  in  specialties  con- 
nected with  the  various  departments  of  the  trade.  The  fol- 
lowing are  the  most  conservative  and  reliable  estimates  of 
the  volume  of  business  and  the  amount  of  capital  involved. 

The  three  leading  houses  employ  a  capital  of  nearly 
$2,000,000,  with  annual  sales  close  upon  $7,000,000.  The 
other  establishments  transact  a  business  of  $700,000,  on  a 
capital  estimated  at  $250,000.  These  figures  do  not  by  any 
means  comprise  the  entire  sales  of  Millinery  goods  in  Chi- 
cago. The  wholesale  dry  goods  houses  have  encroached 
largely  on  this  trade,  dealing  in  Ribbons,  Velvets,  Satins, 
Silks,  etc.,  which  will  bring  the  total  sales  of  Millinery 
Goods  in  Chicago  to  at  least  Ten  Million  Dollars,  annually. 
But  as  large  figures  do  not  always  convey  a  definite  idea  of 
the  magnitude  of  a  business,  it  will  be  instructive  to  glance 
at  the  territory  supplied  from  Chicago  as  a  centre. 

This  includes  every  State  and  Territory  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  while  to  the  east  of  the  river,  every  State 
north  of  Tennessee,  and  west  of  Pennsylvania,  obtains  its 
supplies  almost  exclusively  from  the  Chicago  market. 
There  is  probably  no  other  interest  in  the  city  that  is  so 


MILLINEKY.  137 

extended  in  its  ramifications  as  that  of  Millinery.  The  com- 
mercial travelers  of  the  Millinery  houses  are  the  pioneers 
of  Chicago  trade,  and  are  always  reaching  out  for  more  ter- 
ritory to  conquer.  As  already  shown,  the  spirited  competi- 
tion here  compels  the  merchants  to  place  prices  low,  and  it 
is  no  exaggeration  to  assert  that  the  prices  rule  lower  in 
Chicago  than  in  any  other  market  in  the  country.  The  Chi- 
cago Millinery  trade  is  of  natural  growth,  fostered  and 
developed  by  legitimate  means  and  methods.  It  has  been 
built  upon  solid  foundations,  and  will  continue  to  hold  the 
supremacy  it  now  enjoys  over  that  of  all  other  cities  on  the 
continent. 

In  conclusion  we  add  a  few  remarks  regarding  the 
special  features  pertaining  to  each  of  the  three  large  houses 
to  whom  reference  has  already  been  made. 

A.  S.  Gage  &  Co.  was  established  in  1856,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Webster  &  Gage,  and  is,  consequently,  one  of 
the  oldest  houses  in  this  line  of  business  in  the  Northwest. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  various  departments  of  the 
house,  which  will  be  found  to  comprise  everything  usually 
carried  by  a  first-class  wholesale  Millinery,  Notions,  and 
Fancy  Dry  Goods  establishment. 

Ribbons,  Notions,  White  Goods, 

Silks,  Wools,  Hats, 

Satins,  Yarns,  Bonnets, 

Velvet,  Zephyrs,  Frames, 

Laces,  Buttons,  Feathers, 

Crape,  Hosiery,  Flowers, 

Ornaments,  Gloves,  Cloaks, 

Cashmeres,  Corsets,  Blankets, 

Ginghams,  Flannels, 
Ladies'  Furnishing  Goods,               Gents'  Furnishing  Goods. 

In  addition  they  are  large  manufacturers  of  Ladies' 
Hats,  Bonnets  and  Hat  frames,  and  all  goods  of  this  class. 
The  manufacture  of  Corsets  is  also  one  of  the  leading 
features  of  their  business,  their  capacity  for  producing  these 


138  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

exceeding  seventy-five  dozen  per  •  day.  Besides  corsets  of 
their  own  manufacture,  they  make  a  point  of  carrying  in 
stock  a  full  line  of  every  make  of  Corset  that  has  in  any 
way  met  with  the  approval  of  the  trade  and  the  public. 
This  Corset  stock  alone  occupies  an  entire  floor  of  45x1.75 
feet,  and  the  boxes  are  piled  up  to  a  height  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet  over  the  entire  space.  This  is  by  far  the  largest  stock 
of  Corsets  that  is  carried  by  any  one  house  in  America.  It 
is  a  fact  that  75,000  women  could  be  supplied  with  Corsets 
at  one  time  from  this  stock. 

The  store  occupied  by  this  firm^  at  the  corner  of  Wabash 
avenue  and  Adams  street,  was  built  by  the  special  partner 
of  the  house  particularly  and  expressly  for  their  use,  and  is 
conceded  by  all  to  be  the  finest  mercantile  building  of  its 
size  in  the  United  States,  and  it  contains  more  square  feet 
of  available  space  than  any  wholesale  millinery  house  in  the 
world. 

While  each  department  of  this  establishment  is  under 
the  management  of  a  fully  qualified  and  experienced  buyer, 
the  entire  business  is  conducted  under  the  personal  control 
and  supervision  of  Mr.  A.  S.  Gage,  and  his  systematic  man- 
agement, conspicuous  enterprise,  and  promptitude  in  all 
transactions,  makes  this  more  than  a  desirable  house  with 
which  to  cnltivate  pleasant  and  profitable  relations. 


D.  B.  Fisk  &  Co.  was  the  first  firm  to  engage  in  the 
wholesale  Millinery  business  in  Chicago,  and  indeed  in  the 
Northwest.  The  house  commenced  operations  in  1853,  or 
thirty-one  years  ago,  and  during  its  entire  career,  it  has  .con- 
fined its  business  strictly  to  such  goods  as  are  handled  in 
stores  conducted  by  ladies. 

The  firm  own  and  occupy  a  fine  building;  comprising 
six  floors,  with  a  frontage  on  Wabash  avenue  of  144  feet 
and  on  Washington  street  of  152. feet.  They  have  an  exten- 


MILLINERY.  139 

sive  manufactory  for  the  production  of  Hats,  Bonnets,  Frames, 
etc.,  and  their  stock  includes  everything  pertaining  properly 
to  the  Millinery  business.  As  the  pioneer  house  in  this 
line,  it  has  become  indissolubly  connected  with  the  advance- 
ment of  Chicago  and  the  development  of  its  commercial 
interests. 


Edson,  Keith  &  Co.  are  the  successors  of  Keith  Bros., 
and  O.  B.  Keith  &  Co.,  established  in  1858.  They  occupy 
one  of  the  finest  of  the  grand  buildings  for  which  Chicago 
is  noted,  it  has  a  frontage  on  Wabash  avenue  of  160  feet, 
and  172  feet  on  Monroe  street.  The  entire  building,  con- 
sisting of  five  stories  and  basement,  is  used  exclusively  for  the 
purpose  of  handling  and  selling  goods,  the  manufacturing 
interests  of  the  house  having  other  locations.  As  will  be 
seen  from  the  following  list  of  departments,  these  goods 
comprise  a  great  variety  of  lines  which  the  difiiculty  of 
classification  necessitates  our  giving  in  full. 

DEPARTMENTS. 

Millinery,  Corsets,  Woolens, 

Straw  Goods,  Gloves,  Flannels, 

Silks,  Shawls,  Worsteds, 

Satins,  Suits,  Yarns, 

Laces,  Cloaks,  Zephyrs, 

Ribbons,  Furs,  Hats, 

Flowers,  White  Goods,  Caps, 

Feathers,  Hosiery,  Men's  Furnishing!?, 

Ornaments,  Linens,  Notions. 


CLOTHING. 

WHOLESALE  AND  MANUFACTUBING. 

No  other  city  in  the  United  States  distributes  so  much 
ready-made  clothing  directly  to  the  retail  trade  as  does 
Chicago,  while  in  the  amount  and  variety  of  goods  manufac- 
tured, it  is  second  only  to  New  York. 

The  competition  here  is  intense,  since  there  are  ten  enor- 
mous houses,  ten  whose  lesser  though  still  immense  busi- 
ness, places  them  in  the  second  rank,  and  perhaps  fifteen 
still  smaller  establishments,  all  of  which  are  straining  every 
nerve  to  gain  or  keep  the  lead  among  their  rivals.  Indeed, 
so  close  is  the  struggle,  that  prices  have  been  reduced  to  a 
margin  of  profit  which  would  horrify  other  branches  of  the 
wholesale  trade,  while,  in  addition  to  this,  each  dealer  resorts 
to  an  endless  variety  of  expedients  to  retain  and  increase 
his  trade,  not  unfrequently  offering  inducements  in  special 
lines,  which  if  equaled  in  all,  would  speedily  place  him  in 
the  hands  of  his  creditors.  As  nearly  as  can  be  learned, 
and  probably  within  a  few  thousand  of  the  exact  truth,  the 
capital  thus  employed  amounts  to  $10,000,000,  which  is  so 
turned  as  to  result  in  an  annual  production  and  sale  of  $25,- 
000,000. 

Of   the  goods   sold,  by  far  the  largest  portion  is  manu- 
factured in  this  city;  30,000  hands  thus  finding  employment, 
though  a  small  per  cent,  of  this  number  habitually  work  at 
other  trades,  devoting  their  time  to  this  line  only  when  they, 
would  otherwise  be  unemployed. 

140 


CLOTHING.  141 

Of  this  army  of  work  people,  men  are  in  a  large  majority, 
and  as  most  of  the  employes  work  by  the  piece,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  give  figures  definite  as  to  the  wages  received,  varying 
as  they  do  with  the  individual,  though  somewhere  between 
$5  and  $30  per  week.  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  add, 
that  as  this  business  does  not  require  skilled  workmen,  labor 
is  cheap  and  of  necessity  cheaper  in  a  large  than  in  a  smaller 
city.  Especially  is  this  the  case  in  Chicago,  ever  overflow- 
ing with  wage  seekers,  thousands  of  whom  have  learned  to 
regard  as  a  great  boon  the  opportunities  offered  by  this 
industry. 

The  houses  here  command  the  entire  trade  of  the  West 
and  Northwest,  while  shipping  their  goods  to  every  consid- 
erable village  in  the  South,  this  market  extending  through 
so  many  climates,  compelling  dealers  to  carry  varied  and 
prodigious  stocks.  The  style,  quality  and  general  standard 
of  goods  has  vastly  improved  within  the  past  few  years, 
indeed  no  better  are  anywhere  made,  while  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  the  general  average  of  workmanship  and 
material  is  above  that  of  other  cities,  owing  in  part  to  the 
fact  that  the  bulk  of  the  trade  supplied  demands  special 
attention  to  cutting  and  trimming,  and  an  excellence,  even 
elegance,  of  make-up ;  while  the  garment  must  none  the  less 
be  servicable,  and  adapted  to  the  climate  and  work  for 
which  it  was  designed.  How  true  this  is  will  be  seen  by 
the  fact  that  Chicago,  .with  the  reputation  among  traveling 
men  of  being  the  best  and  most  fashionably  dressed  city, 
purchases  nineteen-twentieths  of  her  wearing  apparel  ready- 
made  from  her  own  manufacturers. 

Some  firms  here  have  built  up  a  wide  reputation  for 
especial  excellence  in  their  work,  as  for  example,  the  firm  of 
Barbe  Brothers,  who  have  been  closely  identified  with  this 
great  interest  in  Chicago  for  the  past  thirty-five  years. 
They  cover  the  entire  line  of  the  clothing  business,  nianu- 


142  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

f  acturing  all  classes  of  these  goods  on  a  very  extensive  scale, 
and  handling  also  the  goods  of  the  best  Eastern  manufact- 
urers. In  fact,  all  that  is  desirable,  serviceable  and  fashion- 
able, is  embraced  in  their  stock.  With  their  great  facilities 
and  their  enterprising  and  energetic  methods  of  transacting 
business,  they  have  pushed  their  trade  into  every  section  of 
'  the  country  tributary  to  this  city. 


HATS    AND    CAPS. 


This  interest,  which  is  of  growing  importance,  already 
engages  a  capital  of  32,000,000,  producing  and  marketing 
goods  valued  at  more  than  three  times  that  amount.  The 
business  is  divided  among  twelve  houses,  each  of  which  finds 
employment  for  many  men. 

The  area  supplied  from  this  center  is  unusually  large, 
even  for  Chicago  houses,  extending,  as  it  does,  from  Toledo 
to  San  Francisco,  as  well  as  to  the  far  South,  while  the 
opening  of  new  lines  of  travel  through  the  Territories  has 
given  a  notable  impetus  to  the  trade  of  this  city. 

This  is  in  a  measure  due  to  the  class  of  goods  demanded 
by  these  regions,  which,  strange  to  say,  always  require  the 
best  and  most  expensive  articles  obtainable,  goods  which 
will  endure  for  the  longest  time  sun  and  storm,  and  the 
hardest  kind  of  usage. 

The  trade  with  the  South  is  another  special  feature, 
monopolized  by  a  few  firms,  which  have  developed  extraor- 
dinary facilities  for  supplying  the  cheaper,  lighter  woolen 
hats  most  extensively  used. 

An  important  item  of  the  business  is  the  manufacture  of 
silk  hats,  some  styles  of  which  have  acquired  so  great  a 
renown  that  jobbers  often  find  it  difficult  to  fill  their  orders. 
1883  showed  an  increase  of  ten  per  cent,  over  the  trade  of 
the  previous  year,  while  thus  far  in  1884  the  business  in 
this  branch  exhibits  a  gain  of  twenty  per  cent. — even  more 
being  claimed  by  some  of  the  firms — a  very  gratifying  result, 

143 


144  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

when  we  remember  that  experience  has  proved  each  advance 
to  be  permanent,  and  every  newly  acquired  dealer  a  customer 
for  life. 

Edson  Keith  &  Co.,  the  successors  of  Keith  Bros,  and 
O.  R.  Keith  &  Co.,  are  probably  the  largest  wholesale  dealers 
in  Hats  and  Caps  in  Chicago.  Their  business  is,  however, 
by  no  means  confined  to  this  one  line,  as  a  reference  to  our 
chapter  on  Millinery,  and  a  glance  at  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  house  will  demonstrate. 


CLOAKS. 

MANUFACTURING. 

If  a  stranger  should  apply  for  information  regarding  the 
Cloak  manufacturing  establishments  of  this  city,  to  some 
man  who  was  thoroughly  informed,  though  not  himself 
engaged  in  this  particular  line,  and  consequently  unpreju- 
diced, and  if  he  should  ask  him  to  name  the  leading  char- 
acteristics of  the  firms  in  this  branch  of  business— the  quali- 
ties to  which  more  than  any  others  they  owe  their  eminence 
and  success — the  informant  would,  in  all  likelihood,  give  the 
question  a  moment's  consideration  and  then  reply — at  least 
nine  out  of  ten  would  give  substantially  the  same  answer — 
that  the  success  of  these  concerns  was  directly  traceable  to 
their  enterprise  and  their  integrity.  The  questioner  might 
at  first  feel  inclined  to  respond  that  "enterprise  and  integ- 
rity" covered  a  great  deal  of  ground,  and  that  the  prosper- 
ity of  every  other  branch  of  business  was  more  or  less 
dependent  on  the  possession  of  these  qualities.  This  is  true, 
in  a  great  measure,  but  still  it  required  in  this  case,  an 
enterprise  phenomenal  even  in  Chicago,  since  our  firms 
encountered  from  the  very  start  the  most  terrific  opposition 
in  the  competition  of  the  immense  Eastern  houses,  which  had 
so  long  controlled  the  trade  of  the  country  that  they  were 
firmly  rooted  in  every  city  in  the  United  States,  and  had 
practically  unbounded  wealth  with  which  to  carry  on  a  losing 
fight  for  years  if  necessary.  How  well  the  Chicago  manu- 
facturers have  succeeded  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they  now 
control  the  broadest  area  of  territory  supplied  by  any  city, 

10  145 


146  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

sending  their  goods  as  far  eastward  as  the  Pennsylvania  line, 
thus  crowding  the  seaport  manufacturers  out  of  some  of  the 
richest  States ;  while  to  the  westward,  Chicago  houses  have 
now  a  free  field  to  the  very  shore  of  the  Pacific  ocean. 

A  word  now  in  reference  to  the  "integrity"  of  which  we 
made  mention  as  the  second  factor  in  compelling  their 
remarkable  success.  By  this  we  do  not  simply  mean  that 
these  manufacturers  do  as  they  agree,  and  pay  their  debts 
when  due.  But  we  mean  that  they  carry  on  every  detail  of 
their  vast  business  with  the  same  scrupulous  and  conscien 
tious  endeavor  to  do  the  best  work,  and  to  use  the  best 
material  which  it  is  possible  to  obtain.  Not  only  are  their 
goods  outwardly  and  apparently  equal  to  the  best,  but  the 
hidden  material  and  the  work  not  open  to  inspection  are  just 
what  they  purport  to  be,  and  this  is  the  universal  rule,  and 
both  a  matter  of  pride  and  of  policy  with  every  Chicago 
manufacturer  in  this  line.  It  is  this  uniform  policy  of  hon- 
esty, this  integrity  of  goods,  and  methods,  and  dealing,  which 
enabled  our  houses  to  supplant  and  drive  out  the  Eastern 
manufacturers  from  every  city  where  they  have  met  on  neu- 
tral ground,  and  fairly  brought  their  goods  into  competition. 
But  facts  and  figures  are  always  more  convincing  than 
verbal  statements,  and  to  the  cold  logic  of  statistics,  we  will 
leave  the  remainder  of  this  article,  and  the  proof  of  our 
previous  assertions. 

Twelve  years  ago  Chicago  could  boast  of  but  one  house 
in  this  line;  now  she  has  twenty,  many  of  them  vast  estab- 
lishments with  wide-awake  agents  on  the  road  in  every  State 
in  the  South  and  West.  Of  the  capital  invested,  we  will  not 
undertake  to  give  an  estimate,  which  might  possibly  be 
misleading,  as  there  are  no  means  of  definitely  ascertaining 
it  up  to  date.  Still,  as  will  be  readily  seen,  it  must  of 
necessity  be  immense,  owing  to  the  enormous  stocks  which 
the  firms  are  compelled  to  carry  ever  on  hand.  When  we 


CLOAKS.  147 

come  to  consider  the  number  of  workmen  we  can  make  a 
very  close  approximation,  and  that  is,  that  this  line  gives 
employment  to  5,000  hands,  and  bringing  into  use  3,000 
machines.  The  amount  expended  annually  in  wages  is  in 
the  neighborhood  of  $2,000,000,  while  the  yearly  outfit  of 
finished  goods  is  valued  at  five  times  as  much,  or 
$10,000,000.  Even  in  the  most  panicy  and  disastrous  years 
of  the  past  decade,  these  firms  have  more  than  held  their 
own,  even  gaining  ground  in  periods  of  greatest  depression, 
a  fact  which  speaks  volumes  for  the  worth  of  the  goods, 
since  in  times  when  retrenchment  is  necessary,  people  are 
always  slowest  to  sacrifice  those  articles  whose  need  they 
constantly  feel,  and  whose  utility  and  value  they  have 
abundantly  demonstrated. 

The  leading  houses  in  this  line  in  Chicago  are: 

J.  W.  Griswold  &  Co. 

Beifield  Bros. 

Hotchkin,  Palmer  &  Co. 

F.  Siegel  &  Bros. 


BOOTS  AND  SHOES. 

WHOLESALE   AND    MANUFACTURING. 

During  the  past  decade,  this  interest  has  exhibited  a 
steady  and  persistent  growth  which  places  Chicago  at  the 
head  of  American  cities,  as  the  greatest  producing  and  dis- 
tributing center.  The  business  is  divided  into  two  branches, 
manufacturing  and  jobbing,  though  most  of  the  larger 
houses  combine  them  both.  Its  importance  can  perhaps 
best  be  shown  by  a  glance  at  the  following  figures,  which 
are  based  on  the  best  estimates  obtainable,  and  will  be  found 
reliable : 

The  capital  engaged  in  houses  which  both  manufacture 
and  job  their  products  is  $5,500,000;  while  their  annual 
production  and  sales  amount  to  $22,000,000.  The  firms 
which  devote  their  energies  to  manufacturing  only,  have 
plants  in  which  $500,000  is  invested,  and  each  year  put  on 
the  market  goods  to  the  value  of  $2,000,000.  The  jobbing 
houses  proper  do  business  on  a  capital  of  $350,000;  their 
annual  sales  being  in  the  neighborhood  of  $1,400,000. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  total  capital  engaged  in 
this  industry  is  $6,350,000,  while  the  aggregate  yearly  sales 
and  output  of  manufactured  articles  amounts  to  $25,400,- 
000,  a  showing  which  no  other  city  of  the  Union  can  equal. 

The  number  of  hands  employed  in  this  branch  of  trade 
varies  a  trifle  with  the  season,  but  the  average  number  of 
workmen,  in  which  the  clerical  force  is  not  included,  may 
be  safely  placed  at  4,550.  These  employes  earn  each 
year  $2,400,000,  or  average  wages  of  $1.74  per  day.  It 

148 


BOOTS    AND    SHOES.  149 

should  also  be  noted  that  many  of  the  firms  under  contracts 
with  Western  prisons  are  large  employers  of  convict  labor ; 
a  system  in  regard  to  which  there  has  long  been  an  irrecon- 
cilable, uncomprising  conflict  of  opinion.  Yet  whatever  be 
its  economic  effect  on  labor  and  the  country  at  large,  it 
certainly  results  to  the  advantage  of  retail  dealers,  and 
furnishes  the  masses  of  the  people  with  cheaper  shoes,  a 
better  and  more  durable  class  of  goods  than  was  ever  before 
obtainable  for  the  same  amount  of  money. 

A  word  may  be  said  in  reference  to  the  variety  and  rela- 
tive excellence  of  the  goods  here  manufactured.  In  former 
years  only  the  cheaper  grades  were  placed  upon  the  market, 
the  jobbers  relying  on  the  Eastern  manufactories  for  goods 
of  finer  quality  and  workmanship.  This,  however,  was  long 
since  changed  by  the  introduction  of  costly  plants  and  the 
most  skillful  workmen,  until  now  every  variety,  from  the 
cheapest  and  strongest  to  the  most  elegant  and  expensive, 
are  both  manufactured  here  and  carried  in  stock.  The 
demand  for  goods  of  superior  quality  and  finish  can  not  as 
yet  be  wholly  supplied  at  home.  For  a  portion  of  these  we 
still  look  to  the  older  establishments  of  the  East,  who  make 
more  goods  especially  for  this  market  than  for  any  other  city 
in  the  country.  Nowhere,  however,  is  the  claim  made  that 
the  products  of  Eastern  manufactories  can  excel  our  own, 
since  our  manufacturers  are  continually  turning  out  shoes, 
which  for  strength,  elegance  and  sterling  qualities,  are  dis- 
placing those  of  custom  make,  and  driving  the  smaller  shoe- 
makers to  cobbling.  Ladies'  shoes  in  particular  have  long 
been  made  a  specialty,  while  some  of  our  firms  have  gained 
a  reputation  almost  world  wide,  by  the  introduction  of  the 
most  durable  and  universally  popular  children's  shoe  ever 
put  upon  the  market. 

The  annual  production  of  fine  leather  is  also  an  item  of 
considerable  importance,  amounting,  as  it  does,  to  $5,000,000, 


150  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

fully  one-half  of  which  is  worked  up  here,  thus  saving  to 
our  dealers  the  cost  of  double  transportation.  Cheap  leather 
for  uppers,  however,  is  shipped  from  here  in  large  quan- 
tities. 

As  would  be  naturally  expected  with  so  many  powerful 
and  enterprising  firms  engaged  in  business,  the  competition 
is  most  intense,  and  has  cut  down  the  margin  of  profit  to  a 
point  which  nothing  but  the  immense  extent  of  their  sales 
could  warrant.  None  the  less  is  this  rivalry  apparent  in  the 
conduct  of  jobbing  houses,  all  of  whom  vie  with  one  another 
in  keeping  on  hand  the  largest  and  most  attractive  stocks, 
though  this  has  come  to  be  a  necessity  with  firms  which  aim 
to  supply  the  demands  of  every  section  of  the  country.  In 
one  thing,  however,  they  all  work  together,  and  that  is  to 
maintain  the  reputation  of  their  city  as  the  cheapest  market 
in  the  country  for  boots  and  shoes ;  the  cheapness  of  leather, 
the  extent  of  their  transactions,  and  the  facilities  for  ship- 
ping, seconding  them  materially  in  their  determined  effort 
to  undersell  all  other  manufacturers  both  East  and  West. 
Among  the  principal  houses  engaged  in  this  line  are: 

M.  D.  Wells  &  Co. 

Phelps,  Dodge  &  Palmer. 

C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co. 

Charles  H.  Fargo  &  Co. 

Doggett,  Bassett  &  Hills  Co. 


GROCERIES. 


If  the  class  of  goods  which  passes  through  the  hands  of 
wholesale  grocers  was  conveyed  to  the  consumer  over  the 
water  ways  of  the  country,  thesupremacy  of  Chicago  as  the 
great  inland  distributing  point  might  be  questioned.  This, 
however,  is  not  the  case;  the  broad-breasted  Mississippi 
floats  not  one-tenth  the  traffic  which  crosses  it  on  a  single 
spanning  bridge ;  nor  do  all  the  rivers  in  the  land  bear  to 
and  from  the  sea  as  much  of  the  table  luxuries  of  modern 
civilization  as  are  carried  yearly  to  Chicago  on  her  hundred 
railroads. 

These  incomparable  railway  facilities  have  made  our  city 
what  she  confessedly  is,  the  second  largest  point  in  the 
United  States  for  the  distribution  of  groceries;  indeed, 
there  is  one  firm  here,  the  variety  and  extent  of  whose 
transactions  are  exceeded  only  by  those  of  the  leading  house 
in  New  York  city,  admittedly  the  greatest  on  this  continent. 

The  best  attainable  estimates  place  the  total  amount  of 
capital  invested  in  this  city  in  wholesale  groceries  at 
$10,000,000,  on  which  the  annual  sales  are  in  excess 
of  $60,000,000. 

The  past  few  years  have  also  witnessed  an  immense 
extension  of  the  territory  supplied  by  Chicago  jobbers, 
owing  no  less  to  the  phenomenal  development  of  the  West 
than  the  energetic  policy  and  the  eager  competition  of  the 
foremost  houses,  which  have  led  them  to  go  far  abroad  for 
business,  and  canvass  even  the  remotest  towns.  During  the 

151 


152  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

year  now  closing  the  tendencies  of  trade  have  been  both 
marked  and  unusual.  There  has  been  a  notable  decline  in 
prices,  and  the  demand  for  fancy  groceries  and  table  luxu- 
ries of  every  description  has  undergone  a  steady  and 
remarkable  increase. 

The  decline  of  prices  is  indicative  of  the  business 
rivalry,  and  consequent  lowering  of  profit  margins,  which 
must  result  eventually  in  strengthening  the  more  staple 
establishments,  and  driving  the  weaker  into  retail  trade  or 
other  fields  of  commercial  enterprise. 

The  increasing  demand  for  fancy  groceries  is  evidence, 
also,  of  the  growing  wealth  of  the  people,  as  well  as  of 
the  great  popularity  of  the  products  of  the  great  fruit,  meat 
and  vegetable  companies. 

To  supply  this  demand  and  at  the  same  time  preserve 
the  standard  of  excellence,  which  alone  secures  a  steady  and 
profitable  trade  in  this%  line,  some  of  the  larger  grocery 
houses  have  established  factories  for  the  production  of  these 
goods  in  those  sections  of  country  where  the  raw  material 
in  its  best  state,  can  be  most  readily  obtained,  and  of 
which  special  lines  of  goods  without  a  brand  on  which  relia- 
bility can  always  be  placed,  no  great  jobbing  house  is  now 
considered  complete. 

To  illustrate,  the  firm  of  Sprague,  Warner  &  Co.,  the 
firm  already  alluded  to  as  the  second  largest  grocery  house 
in  the  United  States,  have  established  at  Batavia,  N.  Y., 
the  now  widely  known  Batavia  Preserving  Co.,  handling  its 
entire  products;  the  quality  of  fruits  and  vegetables  for 
canning  grown  in  this  part  of  New  York  State  being  unex- 
celled anywhere  on  this  continent.  At  Chicago  the  Great 
Western  Canning  Co.,  its  specially  prepared  meats  being 
shipped  throughout  the  entire  West,  Northwest  and  South- 
west, as  well  as  a  number  of  other  lines  of  goods  handled  by 
them  in  large  quantities,  including  a  fish  house  where  dried 
and  preserved  fish  are  inspected  and  re-packed. 


GROCERIES.  153 

Gordon  &  Dilworth  of  New  York,  who  deal  in  jellies 
and  preserves ;  Dumbois  Sons  of  New  Orleans  among  the 
largest  dealers  in  semi-tropical  products,  Figs,  Gulf  Shrimps, 
Green  Turtle,  etc.  The  San  Jose  Preserving  Co.  of  Cali- 
fornia, ship  also  the  bulk  of  their  output  to  them  for 
distribution. 

Imported  Pickles  and  Condiments,  French  Delicacies, 
Dried  Fruits,  Oils,  Chocolates,  Flavoring  Extracts,  Spices, 
Coffees,  Baking  Powders,  etc. ;  Fine  and  Fancy  Biscuits, 
Confections,  and  every  species  of  Home  and  Foreign  Nuts, 
of  all  of  which  Chicago  jobbers  are  forced  by  the  keenness  of 
competition  to  carry  continually  enormous  stocks,  are  either 
purchased,  imported,  or  prepared  expressly. 

Tobacco  is  handled  in  immense  quantities,  and  though 
the  city  can  boast  of  little  manufacturing,  all  of  the  promi- 
nent factories  in  the  country  are  represented  by  branch 
houses  or  agencies. 

To  conclude,  the  stock  of  both  Staple  and  Fancy  Gro- 
ceries carried  by  our  Chicago  houses  is  the  equal  for  com- 
pleteness and  quality  of  any  in  the  world,  while  in  quantity, 
with  the  exception  perhaps  of  New  York,  it  is  by  far  the 
largest  on  the  continent. 


ARTIFICIAL    LIMBS. 


Chicago,  by  reason  of  the  large  area  of  country  for  which 
she  forms  the  basis  of  supplies,  does  a  business  in  the  manu- 
facturing of  Artificial  Limbs  as  large  as  that  of  any  city  in 
the  Union,  and  has  acquired  a  celebrity  for  the  excellence 
of  the  work  produced  here.  There  are  five  concerns  engaged 
in  this  line  of  manufacture,  and  their  aggregate  annual 
product  exceeds  $40,000  in  value. 

Probably  the  most  prominent  of  these  is  C.  L.  Tate,  of 
No.  89  Randolph  street,  whose  goods  are  widely  known  and 
justly  celebrated,  not  only  for  their  great  durability,  but, 
also  for  their  superior  workmanship  and  the  high  quality  of 
all  the  material  used  in  their  manufacture,  thus  insuring 
the  most  desirable  qualifications  of  durability,  utility  and 
comfort. 

Mr.  Tate  is  agent  in  Chicago  for  the  sale  of  Kolbe's 
patent  arms.  It  is  only  necessary  to  add  that  the  fitting 
and  indeed  the  entire  manufacture  of  these  goods  receives 
his  personal  attention  and  care. 

All  modern  inventions  and  additions  to  secure  comfort 
are  quickly  adopted  here,  and  the  ever  increasing  demand 
from  the  great  West  leads  to  strong  competition,  and  keeps 
prices  at  the  lowest  point  at  which  the  goods  can  be  manu- 
factured. 


154 


ANIMAL  VACCINE. 


The  production  and  distribution  of  Cow  Pox  Virus,  is 
one  of  the  industries  of  importance  in  Chicago  not  employing 
many  laborers  or  a  very  large  capital,  yet  Chicago  takes 
the  lead  of  every  city  in  the  Union,  owing  to  the  facilities 
here  enjoyed  for  the  work,  which  are  unsurpassed,  and  its 
natural  geographical  position  as  the  distributing  point  of 
the  continent. 

These  facts,  led  in  the  spring  of  1881  to  the  consolidation 
of  the  two  then  largest  establishments  in  the  country  and 
their  removal  hither,  where,  under  the  corporate  name  of 
"  The  National  Union  Vaccine  Company,"  they  have  ever 
since  maintained  extensive  stables  in  close  proximity  to  the 
city.  These  stables  are  the  most  perfect  of  any  in  the  world, 
having  a  capacity  to  meet  any  emergency  which  may  arise 
for  an  unusually  large  supply  of  virus,  by  reason  of 
prevalence  of  small  pox. 

Their  office  for  the  distribution  of  virus  is  located  in  the 
Quincy  Building,  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Adams  streets, 
directly  opposite  the  Post  Office,  and  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  railroad  and  express  depots. 

The  material  prepared  by  this  establishment  finds  a  sale 
not  only  throughout  this  country,  but  in  Mexico,  South 
America  and  Europe  as  well. 

The  perfection  reached  in  the  arrangement  of  all  depart- 
ments and  details  of  the  business,  is  such,  especially  in  the 
methods  of  preparing  the  virus,  as  to  secure  perfect  purity 
in  all  cast  ;. 

155 


DRUGS  AND  CHEMICALS. 


Chicago  has  been  for  some  time  the  center  of  the  jobbing 
trade  of  this  country  in  drugs,  chemicals  and  medicinal 
goods.  This  is  owing,  as  will  be  readily  seen,  to  its  central 
geographical  position,  from  which  arises  the  fact,  and  a 
very  important  one,  that  so  many "  consumers  in  so  many 
towns  and  cities  of  the  United  States  can  order  goods  from 
Chicago  and  receive  them  with  the  loss  of  the  least  time. 
Since  goods  in  this  line  are  rarely  bulky,  and  hundreds  of 
dollars  may  often  be  invested  in  a  few  pounds  weight  "freight 
discrimination,"  which  shut  our  jobbers  in  other  lines  out 
of  certain  fields,  do  not  operate  to  the  disadvantage  of  our 
wholesale  dealers  in  drugs  and  chemicals,  and  being  thus 
placed  on  an  even  footing  with  any  of  her  rivals  Chicago 
enterprise  has  won  the  day.  During  the  past  year  or  two 
the  most  marked  tendency  of  the  trade  has  been  to  curtail 
expenditure,  avoid  reckless  speculation,  guard  with  greater 
care  against  loss  from  bad  debts,  and  in  other  ways  to  do 
business  on  a  surer  basis.  This  policy  of  prudent  retrench- 
ment enables  jobbers  to  conduct  business  on  a  narrower 
margin,  since  they  are  not  compelled  to  make  so  much  allow- 
ance for  the  possibility  of  failure,  nevertheless  the  territory 
supplied  from  this  city  has  been  materially  enlarged;  Mon- 
tana, Idaho,  Washington  and  Oregon,  as  well  as  the  South- 
western Territories,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  are  now  in  a 
great  measure  controlled  by  our  jobbers,  among  whom  com- 
petition has  been,  if  anything,  keener  than  heretofore,  since 

156 


DRUGS    AND    CHEMICALS.  157 

they  seem  to  have  been  acting  on  a  common  impulse,  and  to 
have  shortened  sail  in  one  direction,  in  order  to  devote 
additional  energy  to  the  acquisition  of  new  markets  and  the 
opening  of  new  fields. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  our  wholesale  houses  will 
compare  favorably  with  any  in  the  world,  not  only  as  to  the 
volume  of  trade,  but  in  the  magnitude  of  the  structures,  the 
extent  of  their  stocks  and  the  system  and  completeness  with 
which  their  business  is  conducted.  Some  of  the  largest 
establishments  had  their  birth  in  days  when  Chicago  was  a 
struggling  village,  and  have  kept  pace  with  her  in  their 
growth  to  commensurate  greatness.  They  now  have  repre- 
sentatives in  every  part  of  the  tributary  territory,  who  are 
each  day  notified  as  to  the  condition  of  the  drug  market,  and 
who  in  their  turn  apprise  the  retail  druggist  of  the  state 
of  affairs. 

The  market  this  year  has  been  active,  the  slight  decline 
of  1882-83  having  been  checked,  and  the  volume  of  trade 
being  somewhat  in  excess  of  previous  years,  In  the  absence 
of  complete  statistics  for  1884,  we  can  approximate  with  all 
requisite  accuracy,  to  the  amount  of  the  year's  business, 
which  it  is  estimated  will  aggregate  $8,000,000.  This  busi- 
ness is  now  in  the  hands  of  seven  large  concerns,  working 
on  a  capital  of  $1,750,000. 

While  there  has  been  an  occasional  advance  in  the  price 
of  particular  commodities,  the  staples  have  tended  with  fluctu- 
ations to  stability  at  lower  prices.  This  has  been  owing  to 
many  causes:  reduction  of  import  duties,  as  in  the  case  of 
lemon  oil,  and  an  increase  in  manufacturing  facilities,  as  in 
the  case  of  sulphur,  and  some  other  chemicals. 

We  must  not  forget  to  mention  the  notable  increase  in 
the  transactions  of  Commission  Agents  and  Drug  Brokers, 
directly  representing  Eastern  importers,  and  Eastern  and 
foreign  manufacturers,  for  whom  they  frequently  carry  large 


158  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

stocks  of  specialties.  These  sales  have  during  the  year 
now  closing,  exceeded  a  million  of  dollars,  a  figure  not  here- 
tofore equaled. 

The  leading  drug  houses  of  Chicago,  are: 

Fuller  &  Fuller. 

Morrisson,  Plummer  &  Co. 

Lord,  Owen  &  Co. 

Chicago  Drug  &  Chemical    Co. 


JEWELRY. 

DIAMONDS,    WATCHES    AND    SILVERWARE. 

Among  the  many  prominent  interests  in  Chicago  few 
are  of  greater  magnitude  than  that  of  jewelry;  indeed  its 
growth  within  the  past  decade  is  so  great  as  to  almost  stag- 
ger belief.  It  is  not  many  years  since  the  Chicago  houses  in 
this  line  of  business  were  exclusively  retail,  and  the  manu- 
facturing—  if  such  it  might  be  called  —  was  limited  to 
repairing  a  timepiece,  or  mending  a  broken  ornament.  In 
short  this  branch  of  trade  was  represented  in  this  city  about 
as  it  still  is  in  a  hundred  petty  cities  throughout  the 
country.  Such  a  state  of  affairs,  however,  was  necessarily 
of  short  duration.  We  had  merchants  sharp  enough  to  see, 
and  energetic  enough  to  take  advantage  of  the  opening 
offered  in  this  direction.  Jewelers  who  knew  the  needs  of 
the  West,  its  fondness  for  novelty,  solidity,  costliness  and 
display,  soon  discovered  the  promise  of  profit  in  supplying 
the  still  more  Westward  merchants  with  goods  in  certain 
lines,  and  thus  in  a  modest  way  sprang  up  that  jobbing  trade 
which  has  since  assumed  such  enormous  proportions. 

These  fortunate  first  houses  met  with  immediate  and 
continued  success,  others  joined  in  the  race,  and  the  compe- 
tition between  them  was  so  keen,  the  rivalry  was  so  fierce, 
so  unrelenting,  that  in  a  short  time  the  whole  world  was 
placed  under  contribution  for  ornamental  novelties.  All  the 
neighboring  and  Western  states  looked  to  this  city  as  the 
best  of  all  markets  in  which  to  purchase  their  stocks,  and 
manufacturers  in  the  East  were  stimulated  vastly  by  the 

159 


160  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

constant  demand  for  the  new,  the  unique,  the  exquisite  in  this 
line  of  goods.  Then  it  was  that  a  home  firm  of  well  known 
pluck  and  shrewdness,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  with 
the  proper  plant  and  imported  artisans,  Chicago  manufac- 
turers might  supply,  in  part  at  least,  the  home  market,  and 
in  certain  selected  lines  to  equal  the  choicest  products  of 
Eastern  cities.  It  was  clearly  understood,  however,  that 
the  East  enjoyed  the  immense  advantage  in  the  wide  celeb- 
rity of  its  goods  and  the  widely  prevalent  opinion  that  no 
work  of  special  elegance  or  artistic  merit  could  be  fashioned 
so  far  from  the  well  known  centres  of  the  trade.  This  im- 
pression could  be  counteracted  in  only  one  way,  and  that 
was  by  placing  on  the  market  a  line  of  goods  whose  unde- 
niable superiority  in  design,  utility  and  finish,  should  settle 
forever  the  possibility  of  successful  competition.  To  effect 
this  the  question  of  expense  must  be  treated  as  a  secondary 
consideration — the  most  successful  designers  must  be  secured 
at  whatever  cost,  the  best  mechanical  appliances  and  the 
most  skillful  workmen  must  be  imported  from  the  East  or 
the  old  world. 

How  well  this  bold  plan  succeeded,  and  how  successfully 
the  business  has  since  been  conducted  on  this  principle  of 
getting  the  best  of  everything,  men,  material,  and  methods, 
is  well  known  to  the  trade,  and  has  been  abundantly  demon- 
strated by  the  unbroken  success  of  the  pioneer  establish- 
ments. The  Jewelry  manufacturing  interest  in  this  city 
now  engages  capital  to  the  extent  of  $400,000,  while  the 
jobbing  interest  is  more  than  ten  times  as  great,  the  most 
exact  estimates  placing  its  capital  at  over  four  million  of 
dollars.  On  this  vast  sum  they  did  a  business  last  year  of 
ten  millions,  a  falling  off  of  twenty -five  per  cent,  on  the 
business  of  the  year  before,  but  as  it  was  due  entirely  to  the 
general  depression  in  all  branches  of  industry,  will  proba- 
bly be  more  than  regained  within  a  few  seasons  to  come. 


JEWELRY.  101 

In  manufacturing,  the  only  goods  placed  on  the  market 
here  in  any  considerable  quantities  are  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  superior  both  in  quality  and  workmanship.  The  cheap 
goods  are  turned  out  exclusively  by  the  vast  beehive  factories 
of  the  East,  where  human  machines  are  schooled  to  manipu- 
late machines  of  iron,  anil  both  together  to  turn  out  so  many 
thousand  gross  in  a  given  time — a  method,  which  by  making 
the  workman  an  automaton,  is  no  less  destructive  to  him 
than  to  all  art  and  individuality  in  his  calling.  It  is  all  but 
superfluous  to  add,  that  undesirable  as  they  are,  these  goods 
of  Eastern  make  continually  depress  the  prices  of  the  better 
class  of  goods,  and  hence  Chicago  prices  are  always  as  low 
as  consistent  with  the  quality  of  the  wares.  The  home  com- 
petition between  the  jobbers  is  also  so  intense,  that  all  of 
the  larger  houses,  without  exception,  are  compelled  to  carry 
immense  and  excellently  assorted  stocks,  full  lines  of  every 
quality  and  manufacture,  which  afford  the  buyer  unrivaled 
opportunities. 

Diamonds  form  one  of  the  most  important  features  of 
the  jewelry  business  here,  and  with  the  single  exception  of 
New  York  City,  there  are  more  diamonds  sold  in  Chicago 
than  in  any  other  city  in  the  United  States.  As  a  conse- 
quence of  the  great  demand  for,  and  the  enormous  quanti- 
ties of  these  goods  handled  here,  Chicago  ranks  as  an  excep- 
tionally good  market  in  which  to  purchase  these  popular 
gems. 

There  are  many  reasons  which  tend  to  induce  successful 
business  men  to  prefer  purchasing  diamonds  rather  than 
any  other  article  of  personal  adornment.  In  the  first  place, 
money  so  laid  out  is  invested  in  an  imperishable  security, 
and  though  it  may  not  bring  any  yearly  interest,  neither 
will  it  deteriorate  in  value ;  again,  it  can  always  be  realized 
on,  as  diamonds  are  decidedly  the  most  staple  article  con- 
nected with  the  jewelry  trade,  and  are  marketable  at  a  fair 
11 


162  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

price  at  any  time.  For  these  reasons  they  are  an  exceedingly 
popular  investment,  particularly  throughout  the  Western 
States,  which  creates  an  enormous  demand  for  them,  which 
is  supplied  by  the  Chicago  merchants. 

A  somewhat  novel  method  of  bringing  the  jewelry  buyers 
of  the  great  West  into  closer  relations  with  the  manufact- 
urers of  Chicago,  without  incurring  the  great  expense  of 
commercial  travelers,  was  introduced  here  in  1855  by  the 
firm  of  E.  V.  Roddin  &  Co.,  and  it  is  a  plan  that  has  since 
been  very  generally  adopted  in  the  trade. 

Their  system  is  to  publish  each  succeeding  year  an  illus- 
trated and  descriptive  catalogue,  which  is  mailed  to  any 
address  upon  application  by  letter,  and  which  contains 
designs  and  patterns  of  all  articles  of  jewelry,  with  the 
quality  and  weight  of  the  gold  or  silver,  and  the  price  of 
each  individual  article.  For  instance,  in  their  catalogue  for 
1885  there  are  a  dozen  pages  devoted  to  the  display  of 
diamond  rings,  ear-rings,  studs,  and  scarf  and  lace  pins; 
each  of  these  not  only  shows  the  pattern  of  the  gold  work 
and  setting,  but  also  displays  the  weight  and  size  of  the 
diamonds.  As  they  import  the  stones  direct  from  the  prin- 
cipal European  diamond  markets  and  mount  them  in  their 
own  factory,  they  are  able  to  insure  the  purchaser,  who 
orders  simply  from  the  illustration,  an  exact  fac  simile  of 
the  pattern  selected.  The  same  is  true  of  all  other  articles 
in  the  catalogue,  in  gold  and  silver  watches,  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  intricate  designs,  engraved  on  the  watch  cases,  all 
shown  exactly  as  they  appear  on  the  watches  themselves, 
while  the  quality  of  the  gold  and  weight  of  the  cases  is 
clearly  marked  against  each.  In  the  same  way  the  various 
works  or  movements  are  designated,  and  of  these  the  popu- 
lar "Elgin"  is  awarded  the  greater  space,  though  the 
"Waltham"  also  comes  in  for  a  large  share  of  attention. 
There  are  innumerable  patterns  of  vest  chains,  ladies'  chains, 


JEWELRY.  163 

rings,  bracelets  of  solid  gold,  and  of  silver,  and  rolled  gold; 
besides  plated  silver-ware  of  elegant  designs  and  great 
variety.  Indeed  this  catalogue,  which  contains  two  hundred 
pages,  is  illustrated  wl  'i  nearly  every  article  in  the  jewelry 
and  silver- ware  trade,  and  the  work  is  executed  in  such  a 
careful  and  elaborate  manner  that  the  same  idea  is  conveyed 
as  in  inspecting  the  goods  themselves.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  the  purchaser  having  this  catalogue  on  hand  can  sell 
jewelry  of  every  kind  without  carrying  a  single  article  in 
stock,  and  these  catalogues  will  always  be  sent  in  response  to 
a  request  by  mail. 

The  importance  to  the  buyer  of  this  direct  and  economical 
manner  of  effecting  sales  can  scarcely  be  overestimated.  By 
this  means  all  the  expense  of  traveling  agents  is  saved,  and 
one  uniform  price  and  discount  is  assured  to  all,  without 
regard  to  the  size  of  the  order.  Every  effort  is  also  made  to 
protect  customers;  if  a  regular  purchaser  desires  to  have 
the  exclusive  privilege  of  handling  these  goods,  on  his 
application  the  firm  will  decline  to  send  a  catalogue  or  sell 
goods  to  any  other  in  the  same  town.  This  system  may  be 
said,  since  its  introduction,  to  have  revolutionized  the 
Jewelry  trade  in  Chicago,  and  some  idea  of  the  immensity 
of  the  trade  it  has  created  is  shown  in  the  fact,  that  during 
the  year  1884,  E.  V.  Roddin  &  Co.  received  and  filled  over 
thirty -five  thousand  different  orders  by  mail,  as  a  direct 
result  of  this  method.  Its  advantages  are  that  it  brings  the 
goods  of  the  manufacturer  to  the  door  of  the  purchaser,  tht*t 
it  saves  all  intermediate  expenses,  profits  and  commissions, 
and  that  by  its  means  the  purchaser  in  Texas,  Arizona  or 
the  Pacific  coast  can  order  as  intelligently,  and  with  as 
much  confidence  as  though  he  was  selecting  from  stock. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  a  business  of  this 
character  and  magnitude  could  only  be  conducted  by  a  firm 
of  the  highest  standing  and  with  facilities  of  the  very  high- 
est order. 


LUMBER. 


With  the  purpose  of  giving  an  accurate  and  full  account  of  this 
mportant  interest,  the  following  article  has  been  written  and  carefully 
revised  by  MB.  GEOBGE  W.  HOTCHKISS,  the  efficient  Secretary  of  the 
Lumberman's  Exchange. 

.  In  contemplating  the  lumber  trade  of  a  city  which 
receives  212,100,000,000  feet  in  one  year,  handling  in  the 
aggregate  nearly  two  and  one-half  billions  of  feet  as  the 
total  trade  of  the  year,  without  including  nearly  1,100,000,- 
000  shingles  and  104,000,000  lath,  adding  at  least  200,000,- 
000  feet  to  the  gross  total,  it  is  eminently  proper  that  we 
should  review  the  early  history  of  a  business  which  has 
grown  to  such  proportions  as  to  represent  not  far  from  $60,- 
000,000  of  invested  capital.  While  Chicago  was,  fully  eighty 
years  ago,  an  outpost  of  the  advancing  civilization  of  the 
American  Continent,  it  was  not  until  1830  and  subsequent 
thereto  that  the  small  stream  at  the  mouth  of  which  Fort 
Dearborn  was  erected  as  a  menace  to  the  Indians  who 
occupied  the  entire  country,  became  at  all  attractive  to  white 
men,  or  held  out  to  them  any  inducements  for  settlement. 
That  year,  in  fact,  may  be  assumed  as  the  beginning  of  the 
city,  which  has  in  fifty  years  increased  to  such  mammoth  pro- 
portions. 

It  was  not  known  until  the  use  of,  and  demand  for,  lum- 
ber by  the  settlers  on  the  rich  bottom  lands  of  the  "YVabash 
and  the  fertile  prairie  lands  of  Illinois — a  demand  extend- 
ing to  the  wants  of  the  early  settlers  on  the  banks  of  the 

164 


LUMBER.  165 

Mississippi — that  the  little  hamlet  yclept  Chicago  began  to 
show  any  signs  of  vigorous  growth.  But  as  soon  as  the 
liberality  of  the  General  Government  responded  to  the 
demands  of  the  few  but  far-sighted  pioneer  settlers,  in  the 
building  of  a  pier  which  should  form  a  shelter  for  vessels, 
and  thus  enable  commerce  to  visit  the  river,  a  constant  accre- 
tion of  population  was  apparent,  and,  in  1834,  Capt.  Carver 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  present  vast  lumber  industry  of 
Chicago,  by  opening  a  lumber-yard  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  near  where  is  now  located  the  State  street  bridge.  Up 
to  this  time,  no  record  can  be  had  of  any  systematic  attempt 
to  establish  a  lumber-yard,  or  to  provide  lumber  for  this 
region  of  country,  other  than  by  the  use  of  the  broad  axe  or 
the  whip-saw.  The  north  side  of  the  river  was  a  fairly  well- 
timbered  tract,  and  it  is  probable  that  from  the  white -wood 
which  grew  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  the  lumber  requisite  for  the  use  of  the  earlier  settlers 
was  manufactured  by  means  of  a  pit-saw.  As  all  the  earlier 
buildings  of  Chicago  were  log  houses,  but  little  lumber  was 
requisite  in  their  construction.  With  the  completion  of  the 
pier,  however,  Capt.  Carver  began  to  run  a  small  schooner 
called  "General  Harrison"  to  different  points  on  the  lake, 
and,  in  1834,  is  credited  with  bringing  a  cargo  of  about  40,- 
000  feet  of  lumber  from  a  mill  which  had  been  established 
at  St.  Joseph,  Mich.  As  the  harbor  was  not  yet  sufficiently 
advanced  to  allow  the  vessel  to  enter  the  river,  her  cargo 
was  landed  on  the  beach  in  a  raft.  This  was  the  pioneer 
enterprise,  which  in  forty-seven  years  has  culminated  in  the 
immense  lumber  trade  which  has  now  developed.  About 
this  period,  or  perhaps  a  year  or  two  later  (the  statistical 
data  of  the  period  in  question  being  very  imperfect),  a 
wind  saw-mill  was  put  in  operation  near  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent Kinzie  street  bridge,  but  its  accomplishments  did  not 
entitle  it  to  a  prominent  place  in  history.  In  1836,  a  pocket 


166  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

saw-mill,  with  one  upright  saw,  the  pitman  of  which  was 
connected  direct  with  the  piston  of  the  small  steam  engine 
which  ran  it,  was  erected  on  the  North  Branch  of  the  river, 
near  the  present  Chicago  avenue  bridge,  by  a  man  named 
Hun  toon.  Its  daily  cut  did  not  exceed  2,000  feet  of  lumber, 
but  it  was  a  great  curiosity  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  for  a  year  or  two  proved  of  very  great 
usefulness  to  them.  In  the  fall  of  1834  or  spring  of  1835 
(the  weight  of  evidence  being  in  favor  of  the  latter  date) 
Capt.  Carver,  finding  that  his  little  craft  could  now  enter  the 
river — the  bar  at  the  mouth  having  been  swept  away  by  a 
freshet — brought  in  another  cargo  of  lumber,  which  he 
landed  at  a  temporary  dock  which  lie  constructed  just  west 
of  the  State  street  bridge,  and  from  this  time  forward  the 
lumber  trade  of  Chicago  was  of  constantly  increasing  pro- 
portions. Capt.  Carver  continued  to  do  a  lumber  business 
until,  in  1839,  he  sold  out  to  George  W.  Snow,  who  continued 
for  many  years  at  the  same  locality.  This  yard  was  without 
a  competitor  in  the  business,  until,  probably,  1838  or  1839, 
when  the  firm  of  H.  Norton  &  Co.  was  established,  with  a 
yard  about  one  block  to  the  east  of  Snow's  yard,  or  near 
the  present  Eush  street  bridge.  In  1840,  the  New  York 
&  Lake  Michigan  Lumber  Co.  was  established,  with  John 
H.  Kinzie  as  manager,  and  the  trade  began  to  be  one 
of  great  importance,  yards  multiplying  with  rapidity,  and  in 
keeping  with  the  increased  population,  which  by  this  time 
was  taking  possession  of  the  then  far  West,  and  the  best 
estimates  attainable  place  the  volume  of  trade  in  1843  at 
12,000,000  feet.  Succeeding  the  enterprise  of  Carver  and 
the  New  York  &  Lake  Michigan  Co.,  so  many  yards 
were  established  that  it  is  at  this  day  impossible,  in  the 
absence  of  authentic  records,  to  classify  them  in  proper 
order.  We  may,  however,  mention  as  among  the  earlier 
lumber  dealers  of  Chicago  the  names  of  L.  P.  Hillard, 


LUMBER.  167 

George  M.  Higginson,  F.  Eossiter,  Barber  &  Mason,  J.  M. 
Underwood,  Sylvester  Liiid,  Robert  Dunlap,  George 
Eoberts,  B.  W.  Thomas,  Throop  &  Wait,  W.  M.  Ferry, 
D.  R.  Holt,  C.  N.  &  A.  H.  Holden,  -  -  Ely,  -  -  Wing 
and  Russell  Green.  Some  of  these  gentlemen  are  still  liv- 
ing and  doing  business  in  Chicago,  although  none  (with  the 
exception  of  Mr.  Holt)  are  still  engaged  in  the  lumber 
trade,  unless  we  except  the  firm  of  Ferry  Brothers,  who  still 
represent  the  business  established  by  W.  M.  Ferry.  Reach- 
ing the  year  1850,  however,  we  find  that  there  had  been 
established  and  were  then  in  operation  no  less  than  thirty- 
five  yards,  operated  by  the  following-named  gentlemen  and 
firms: 

J.  P.  Allen,  L.  Morton,  Higginson  &  Co., 

J.  Barker,  G.  B.  Roberts,  Hoit  &  Lackley, 

Butler  &  Norton,  F.  B.  Stockbridge,  J.  Johnson, 

F.  Clark,  Thomas  &  Co.,  S.  H.  Kerfoot, 

J.  M.  Dalton,  Walker,  Day  &  Smith,    Lind  &  Smith, 

T.  DeWolf,  N.  Squires,  N.  &  C.  H.  Hears, 

Hannah,  Lay  &  Co.,  J.  C.  Baldwin,  A.  &  G.  L.  Norton, 

L.  P.  HiUiard,  Jacob  Beidler.  A.  Smith, 

James  &  Hammond,  O.  G.  Butts,  E.  C.  Stowell, 

T.  Jones,  P.  Crawford.  A.  G.  Throop  &  Bro., 

Leonard  &  Marsh,  H.  Dunlap,  J.  Wilde, 

W.  Lull,  W.  M.  Ferry,  Holt  &  Mason. 

Many  of  these  names  will  be  recognized  among  the 
operators  of  to-day,  while  others  have  handed  the  business 
over  to  their  sons,  and  the  names  do  not  drop  out  of  the 
record.  Notably,  we  may  call  attention  to  the  venerable 
Jacob  Beidler,  who  is  still  represented  by  the  J.  Beidler 
Bros.  Lumber  Co. ;  to  Ferry  Bros.,  who  succeeded  to 
the  business  of  W.  M.  Ferry;  to  Hannah,  Lay  &  Co.,  and 
to  N.  &  C.  H.  Mears,  who  still  handle  yearly  a  quantity  of 
lumber  equal  to  more  than  one-half  the  entire  receipts  of 
Chicago  in  1847. 

From  1850,  down  to  a  very  recent  date,  no  positive  or 


168  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

authentic  record  of  the  names  of  those  engaged  in  the  trade 
has  been  perpetuated,  the  only  records  which  did  exist  hav- 
ing gone  the  way  of  so  many  other  valuable  records  of  the 
city  in  the  great  fire  of  1871. 

The  statistical  tables  which  we  present  herewith,  how- 
ever, are  the  best  evidence  in  the  world  that  the  ranks  of 
the  lumber  dealers  did  not  diminish,  each  year  adding  to 
their  number  until  the  present  time,  when,  as  will  be  seen 
by  the  record  with  which  this  work  is  so  replete,  the  trade 
of  1881  comprised  about  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  indi- 
vidual dealers  and  firms. 

The  history  of  the  lumber  trade  is  the  history  of  the 
city.  From  Capt.  Carver's  temporary  dock  near  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  the  lumber  men  have  improved  the  river  front, 
not  only  on  the  main  stream,  but  on  both  the  North  and 
South  Branches,  in  advance  of  any  other  class  of  business 
men,  developing  enterprise  and  a  far-sighted  appreciation  of 
the  rapidity  with  which  the  city  was  increasing,  and  its  trade 
extending,  and  setting  an  example  to  all  who  required  the 
advantages  of  river  frontage,  by  their  willingness  still  to 
push  on  farther  and  yet  farther  up  the  stream.  The  growth 
of  the  city  is  very  largely  the  effect  and  outgrowth  of  the 
lumber  business.  Until  a  lumber-yard  was  established,  no 
inducements  could  be  held  out  to  the  settlers  in  the  interior, 
to  journey  over  trackless  prairies  to  a  little  hamlet  whose 
advantages  for  trade  and  traffic  were  scarcely  if  at  all  better 
than  those  enjoyed  at  many  a  point  nearer  to  their  homes. 
But  lumber  was  a  great  necessity,  and  when  lumber  could 
be  had  at  Chicago,  there  was  an  inducement  to  drive  with 
the  ox-teams  which  drew  the  vehicles  of  those  days,  almost 
to  the  exclusion  of  horses,  even  from  the  Valley  of  the 
Mississippi  and  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Wabash.  And  in 
undertaking  a  long  journey  to  obtain  lumber,  each  farmer 
judiciously  loaded  his  wagon  with  farm  products  to  be  sold 


LUMBER.  169 

or  exchanged,  and  thus  arose  the  vast  trade  which  has  made 
Chicago  not  only  the  greatest  lumber  market  of  the  world, 
but  the  dictator  of  the  values  which  rule  the  grain  and  pro- 
vision markets  of  all  nations.  As  stated,  no  reliable  or  tan- 
gible statistical  records  of  the  extent  of  the  lumber  trade  of 
Chicago  can  be  given  prior  to  1847,  since  which  time  we  are 
enabled  to  point  to  a  constantly  increasing  business,  as  rep- 
resented by  the  accompanying  statistics.  Indeed,  the  bus- 
iness had,  in  the  years  1856  and  1857,  assumed  such  mam- 
moth proportions,  aggregating  in  each  of  those  years  not 
far  from  450,000,000  feet,  that  the  gentlemen  then  engaged 
in  the  trade  at  Chicago  felt  the  necessity  of  some  organiza- 
tion which  should,  through  the  authority  of  the  laws  of  the 
State,  impose  upon  it  some  of  those  restrictions  and  regula- 
tions which  were  essential  to  its  profitable  and  successful 
prosecution.  Accordingly,  nearly  or  quite  all  of  them 
secured  membership  in  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  which 
was  then  in  successful  operation  and  was  authorized  by  its 
charter  to  regulate  the  inspection  of  lumber  and  matters 
pertaining  to  the  traffic  in  all  products  of  the  forest,  as  well 
as  in  those  to  which  its  attention  is  at  present  confined. 
Among  those  who  thus  became  members  were  the  firms  of 
Mears  &  Bates,  Hilliard,  Howard  &  Morton,  T.  M.  Avery, 
Read  A.  Williams  &  Co.,  Hannah,  Lay  &  Co.,  Eraser  & 
Gillette,  Ferry  &  Sons,  John  M.  Williams,  Chapin,  Marsh 
&  Foss,  Holbrook,  Elkins  &  Co.,  Jacob  Beidler,  Pierson  & 
Messer,  R.  K.  Bickford,  Artemas  Carter,  Holt  &  Mason, 
Throop,  Lamed  &  Co.,  George  E.  Scott  (representing  the 
firm  of  S.  N.  Wilcox  &  Co.),  Frost  &  Bradley,  and  some 
others  whose  names  it  is  impossible  now  to  recall.  All  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  lumber  trade  of  the  city  were,  by  the 
officers  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  delegated  to  the  representa- 
tives of  that  branch  of  business,  and  these  held  daily  meet- 
ings in  the  afternoon,  when  the  business  of  the  board 


170  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

regarding  all  other  commodities  had  ceased.  The  question  of 
inspection  was  the  most  important  one,  and  the  one  requiring 
the  most  attention,  and  Eli  Bates,  G.  C.  Morton,  T.  M. 
Avery,  R.  H.  Foss,  -  -  Dickey  (representing  the  firm  of 
Ferry  &  Sons),  and  R.  K.  Bickford,  were  appointed  "In- 
spection Committee. " 

This  committee  spent  considerable  time  in  considering  the 
question,  and  finally  delegated  the  drafting  of  the  rules  for 
inspection  to  R.  K.  Bickford  and  Artemas  Carter,  who  pre- 
sented a  code  which  was  adopted,  and  with  some  slight 
modifications  has  remained  in  force,  and  constitutes  the  only 
guide  upon  that  subject  which  is  recognized  by  the  organi- 
zation of  this  day.  The  connection  of  the  lumbermen  with 
the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  continued  for  about  two  years, 
when  a  separate  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained  from  the 
Legislature  of  the  State,  for  the  "  Lumbermen's  Board  of 
Trade  of  Chicago,"  the  incorporators  being  Robert  H.  Foss, 
Eli  Bates,  George  C.  Morton,  T.  M.  Avery  and  Read  A. 
Williams.  This  organization  elected,  as  its  first  President,. 
Robert  H.  Foss,  with  Nathaniel  A.  Haven  as  Secretary, 
opening  an  exchange  room  in  the  Lind  Block,  at  the  east 
end  of  the  Randolph  street  bridge,  holding  daily  meetings 
from  10  A.  M.  until  2  P.  M.  This  was  maintained  for 
about  two  years,  during  a  goodly  portion  of  which  time  the 
Secretary,  Mr.  Haven,  published  a  folio  weekly  newspaper 
called  the  Lumberman,  devoted  principally  to  the  interests 
of  the  lumber  business,  and  which,  no  doubt,  was  the  first 
journal  ever  published  in  that  interest.  The  hard  times 
causing  interest  in  the  organization  to  abate,  the  trade  of 
1860  and  1861  being  scarcely  more  than  one-half  that 
of  1856,  the  Lumberman's  Board  of  Trade  practically  passed 
out  of  existence,  although  that  portion  of  its  membership 
known  as  the  "  commission  dealers"  kept  it  alive  through 
annually  meeting  and  electing  officers,  and  it  thus  dragged 


LUMBER.  171 

out  a  feeble  existence  until  1868,  being  looked  upon  by  a 
majority  of  the  yard  dealers  as  antagonistic  to  their  interests, 
as  opposed  to  the  interests  of  the  commission  trade.  As  the 
time  drew  near  for  the  annual  meeting  of  1868,  however, 
the  commission  dealers  sent  an  urgent  appeal  to  the  yard 
dealers  to  attend  that  meeting,  and  enter  into  an  amicable 
discussion  of  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  to  be  realized 
by  them  in  identifying  themselves  with  its  membership. 
The  appeal  met  with  much  greater  favor  than  the  com- 
mission men  had  dared  to  hope,  and  resulted  in  a  coup 
d'etat  which  carried  consternation  to  the  commission  men, 
and  placed  them  at  the  mercy,  if  not  under  the  feet  of  the 
yard  dealers.  These  latter  attended  the  meeting  in  a  body 
under  the  leadership  of  a  general  (who  has  since  become 
famous  among  the  lumbermen,  not  only  of  Chicago,  but  of 
the  whole  Northwest,  and  who  to-day  exerts  a  wide-spread 
influence  at  all  the  meetings  of  the  Exchange,  and  would  at 
once  be  chosen  as  the  leader  of  another  desperate  sally  upon 
the  forces  of  the  enemy,  were  the  lumbermen  to  discover  an 
enemy  in  sight,  who  was  not  stronger  than  themselves),  Mr. 
Thaddeus  Dean,  under  whose  generalship  the  dealers  declared 
themselves  as  constituting  the  membership  of  the  Lumber- 
man's Board  of  Trade,  and  while  inviting  the  commission 
men  to  remain  in  membership,  proceeded  to  parcel  out  all 
the  offices  among  themselves,  leaving  those  who  had  labored 
to  keep  the  breath  of  life  in  the  organization  during  a 
period  of  eight  years  out  in  the  cold,  without  a  crumb  from 
the  loaves  and  fishes  of  official  life  to  comfort  them.  It  was, 
however,  in  the  final  results,  like  many  another  sorely- 
mourned  contest,  a  victory  for  those  who  were  defeated,  for 
during  the  succeeding  winter  of  1869  application  was  made 
to  the  Legislature,  and  articles  of  incorporation  obtained  for 
the  "Lumberman's  Exchange  of  Chicago,"  resulting  in 
harmonizing  the  bitterness  which  had  existed  between  the 


\1'1  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

two  branches  of  the  lumber  business,  hitherto  antagonistic, 
although  necessary,  the  one  to  the  prosperity  of  the  other. 
The  organization  thus  formed  is  the  one  which  still  exists, 
and  is  now  recognized  as  among  the  most  valuable  and 
influential  of  those  which  exercise  an  influence  over  the 
trade  and  commerce  of  the  nation,  holding  a  position  of 
importance  in  the  Northwest,  second  only  to  that  which  is 
maintained  by  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  in  its  supervision 
over  the  grain,  produce  and  provisions  of  the  country. 

The  Lumberman's  Exchange  did  not,  however,  at  once 
assume  the  high  position  which  it  now  occupies,  but  led  a 
feeble  existence  until  the  spring  of  1875,  in  which  year,  it, 
for  the  first  time,  employed  a  salaried  Secretary,  and,  owing 
to  the  persistent  energy  of  A.  A.  Carpenter,  A.  G.  Van 
Schaick  and  others,  was  started  in  the  right  direction  upon 
its  present  course  of  usefulness.  Too  much  praise  can  not 
be  awarded  to  these  gentlemen,  and  all  others  who  have 
displayed  so  great  foresight  and  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  the  statistical  data,  which  the  Exchange  is  now  supplying 
to  the  advantage  of  all  who  are  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade 
in  any  part  of  the  continent.  At  the  first  election  of  officers 
in  1869,  Mr.  T.  M.  Avery  was  called  to  the  Presidency,  and 
Mr.  W.  L.  Southworth  was  made  Secretary,  and  this  latter 
gentleman  continued  in  that  office  for  the  succeeding  five 
years,  with  no  salary,  and  with  no  duties  expected  from  him 
except  such  as  could  reasonably  be  expected  from  a  gentle- 
man who  had  an  extensive  lumber  business  of  his  own  to 
engross  his  attention.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  Secretary 
to  keep  a  record  of  the  occasional  meetings  which  were  held, 
supervise  the  dock,  which  was  rented  by  the  commission 
dealers  independently  of  the  Exchange,  although  subject  to 
rules  and  regulations  of  its  organization,  and  control,  collect 
and  pay  the  rents,  taking  a  small  percentage  of  the  monies 
collected,  as  a  compensation  for  his  services,  which  included 


LUMBER.  173 

a  personal  visitation  of  each  yard  in  the  city  at  the  close  of 
the  year,  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  estimate  of  the  total 
stock  on  hand,  more  as  a  matter  of  curiosity  than  as  a  guide 
to  determine  values  for  the  winter  trade.  Unfortunately, 
all  the  records  which  had  been  made  prior  to  the  fall  of 
1871,  including  all  which  had  been  handed  down  from  the 
pioneer  organization  of  1857,  were  swept  away  in  the  great 
fire  which  destroyed  so  large  a  portion  of  Chicago  in  that 
year.  Subsequent  to  the  fire,  the  operations  of  the 
Exchange  were  so  feeble  that  no  systematic  record  was  kept, 
until,  in  April,  1875,  when,  with  W.  W.  Calkins  as  Presi- 
dent, George  E.  Stockbridge  was  elected  Secretary,  and 
from  that  time  the  Exchange  has  accumulated  in  energy, 
influence  and  usefulness.  Under  Mr.  Stockbridge  as  Sec- 
retary, the  Exch  ange  undertook,  for  one  year,  the  oversight 
and  control  of  the  inspection  and  inspectors  of  lumber,  and 
endeavored  to  procure  and  maintain  business  credit  ratings 
of  all  who  constituted  the  customers  of  the  Chicago  trade 
throughout  the  entire  West.  Both  these  endeavors  were 
abandoned  after  about  one  year  of  trial,  and  from  that  time 
the  Exchange  has  limited  its  endeavors  to  the  licensing  of 
inspectors  of  lumber  under  rules  adopted  for  their  guidance 
and  government,  and  to  the  collection  of  statistics  regarding 
the  Chicago  daily  and  yearly  receipts  and  shipments  of  lum- 
ber and  other  products  of  the  forests,  and,  informally,  in 
concentrating  the  action  of  the  yard  dealers  in  the  establishing 
of  uniform  price-lists.  In  pursuance  of  this  policy,  a 
monthly  statement  of  statistical  information  has  been  pub- 
lished, originating  with  Mr.  Stockbridge  and  continued  by 
his  successor,  Mr.  A.  H.  Hitchcock,  who  was  elected  Secre- 
tary in  March,  1879,  upon  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Stock- 
bridge.  Mr.  Hitchcock  held  the  office  during  1879-80, 
resigning  the  position  in  March,  1881,  at  which  time  Mr. 
G.  W.  Hotchkiss,  the  present  Secretary,  was  elected  by  the 


174  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

Board  of  Directors  to  the  position.  The  official  board,  as 
now  constituted  (the  official  year  terminating  March  1, 
1885),  is  composed  as  follows: 

BOARD    OF    DIRECTORS. 

B.  L.  Anderson,  J.  P.  Ketcham, 

J.  O.  Bryant,  S.  K.  Martin, 

A.  Ballard,  J.  McLaren, 

P.  G.  Dodge,  A.  G.  Van  Schaick, 

V.  A.  Watkins,  A.  C.  Soper, 

T.  Dean,  J.  S.  Vredenberg, 
W.  E.  Kelley. 


OFFICERS? 

J.  P.  Ketcham President. 

George  W.  Hotchkiss Secretary. 


COMMITTEE   ON  ARBITRATION. 

T.  Dean,  B.  G.  Gill, 

J.  Durgin,  J.  B.  Thompson, 

M.  B.  Hull. 


COMMITTEE   ON   APPEALS. 

A.  A.  Bigelow,  A.  T.  Lay, 

A.  A.  Carpenter,  J.  H.  Swan. 

The  growth  and  extent  of  the  lumber  business  of 
Chicago  may  be  traced  from  the  following  figures,  which 
include  all  the  information  which  has  been  preserved  as  a 
matter  of  record,  and  is  at  this  time  available. 


LUMBER. 


175 


YEARS.  LUMBER. 

1847..  32,118,225 

1848  60,009,250 

1849  ..         ...  73,259,553 

1850  ..          .  100,364,779 
1851..  .  125,056,437 
1852..  .  147,816,232 
1853...           .  202,101,078 
1854..           .  228,336,783 
1855..           .  306,547,401 

1856 456,673,169 

1857 459,639,198 

1858 278,943,000 

1859 302,845,207 

1860 262,494,626 

1861 .  249,308,708 

1862..  .  305,674,045 

1863..  .  413,301,818 

1864..  .  501,592,406 

1865 647,145,734 

1866... .  730,057,168 

1867 882,661,770 

1868 1,028,494,789 

1869 997,736,942 

1870 1,018,998,685 

1871 ..1,039,328,375 

1872...         ..1,183,659,280 
1873..          ..1,123,368,671 
1874..          ..1,060,688,700 

1875 1,157,194,432 

1876 1,039,785,265 

1877 1,065,405,362 

1878 1,179,984,710 

1879.... 1,467,720,091 

1880 ..1,564,538,118 

1881...         ..1,906,639,000 

1882 ..2,116,341,000 

1883 1,897,815,000 

1884  (estimated) 1,800,000,000 

In  addition  to  the  stock  of  lumber  and  shingles  received 
at  Chicago  during  the  season  of  1884  there  should  be 
named  66,000,000  lath ;  2,800,000  cedar  posts;  1,500,000 
railroad  ties ;  30,000  cords  of  wood;  50,000  cords  of  slabs; 
30,000  cords  of  tan -bark;  150,000  telegraph  poles  and  25,- 
000  lineal  feet  of  piles.  The  aggregate  value  o  the 
receipts  of  forest  products  during  the  year,  amounted  to  not 
far  from  $43,000,000.  We  have  thus  reviewed  the  trade 
which  had  its  beginning  but  forty-seven  years  ago  in  the 


SHINGLES.  ! 

12,148,500 

STOCK  ON  HAND 
JAN.  1. 

20,050,000 

39,057,750 

55,423,750 

60,338,250 

77,080,500 

93,483,784 

82,061,250 

108,647,250 

135,876,000 

131,830,250 

127,565,000 

165,927,000 

127,894,000 

79,a56,000 

131,255,000 

172,364,875 

190,169,750 

310,897,350 

400,125,250 

447,039,275 

514,434,100 

673,166,000 

652,091,000 
647,595,000 
610,824,420 
517,923,000 
619,278,630 
635,708,000 
566,978,000 
546,442,000 
692,544,750 
670,956,000 
650,922,500 
866,075,000 
954,549,000 
1,185,108,000 
900,000,000 

282,560,526 
298,752,968 
234,438,527 
322,603,232 
328,519,752 
344,252,275 
352,587,730 
369,381,007 
385,569,024 
410,773,860 
451,282,059 
497,840,673 
560,416,842 
635,348,561 
600,000,000 

176  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

venturesome  experiment  of  Capt.  Carver,  and  have  traced  it 
to  its  present  aggregate  of  handling  by  the  dealers  no  less 
than  2,350,000,000  feet  in  one  year,  while  the  original  cargo 
reprepenting  a  value  not  to  exceed  $200,  has  developed 
a  business  representing  one  of  the  largest  industries  of  the 
West.  The  capital  represented  in  the  lumber  trade  of 
Chicago  is  estimated  at  $60,000,000,  or  a  sum  equal  to  two- 
thirds  the  aggregate  deposits  received  by  the  banks  of 
Chicago  during  the  year.  While  the  membership  of  the 
Lumberman's  Exchange  embraces  but  about  150  of  the 
entire  representatives  of  the  trade  in  the  city,  or  about  two- 
thirds,  that  institution  represents  a  cash  capital  fully  equal 
to  $45,000,000.  In  all  the  ramifications  of  the  business, 
not  less  than  17,500  men  find  employment,  one-eighth  of 
these  being  sailors,  engaged  in  the  lake  commerce  which  is 
employed  in  transporting  the  vast  forest  wealth  from  the 
mills  of  the  manufacturing  points  to  the  yards  of  the  dealers. 
In  distributing  the  1,900,000,000  feet  of  lumber,  800,000,- 
000  shingles  and  vast  array  of  other  forest  products  which 
constitute  the  trade  of  Chicago,  not  less  than  250,000  cars 
are  requisite,  which  would  form  one  continuous  train  2,000 
miles  in  length.  The  army  of  men  and  the  vast  extent 
of  manufacturing  industry,  in  the  building  of  mills,  of 
vessels,  of  railroad  track  and  rolling  stock,  and  the  vast 
mercantile  industries,  finding  their  life  and  profit  in  traffic 
growing  out  of  this  vast  industry,  ramifying  as  they  do 
through  all  departments  of  manufacture,  merchandising  and 
commerce,  are  incalculable  both  as  to  extent,  and  the  money 
value  which  they  represent.  There  is  not  a  department  of 
business  wherein  the  lumber  trade  of  the  country  does  not 
exercise  a  potent  if  not  a  controlling  influence,  and  in  the 
value  of  forest  products  which  are  handled  at  Chicago, 
estimating  them  at  not  far  from  $43,000,000  for  the  year 
1884,  may  be  found  one  of  the  most  important  factors  of 


LUMBER.  177 

the  growth,  not  alone  of  a  city  which  in  less  than  fifty 
years  has  attained  a  population  of  600,000  souls,  but  as  well 
of  the  vast  region  which  in  the  same  length  of  time  has 
been  peopled  by  many  millions  of  industrious  inhabitants, 
grouped  in  sovereign  States,  exercising  a  most  important 
influence  over  the  destiny  and  development  of  a  mighty 
nation.  The  profitable  character  of  the  occupation  and  the 
respectability  of  those  engaged  in  it  are  shown  in  the  indis- 
putable fact  that  a  smaller  proportion  of  failures  occur 
among  those  engaged  in  it,  than  marks  any  other  business 
or  occupation,  fully  ninety-five  per  cent,  realizing  the 
success  for  which  they  seek. 

Hay  den  Bros.,  office  Pullman  Building,  Adams  street 
and  Michigan  avenue;  yard,  400  Lumber  street.  This  firm 
have  secured  a  lease  of  the  dock  property  lately  occupied  by 
Soper  Bros.  &  Co.,  lying  between  Lumber  street  and  the 
river,  about  where  Twentieth  street  extended  would  cross 
them.  The  dock  frontage  is  215  feet,  and  there  are  600 
feet  of  railway  track  in  the  yard.  The  yard  office  is  400 
Lumber  street.  In  this  yard  they  will  carry  in  stock  the 
hardwoods  usually  to  be  found,  but  their  specialty  will  be 
mahogany  and  other  rare  and  fine  woods  and  veneers.  For 
their  stock  of  mahogany  Hayden  Brothers  have  made 
arrangements  with  George  D.  Emery,  of  Chelsea,  Mass.,  by 
which  they  become  general  Western  agents  for  his  product. 
Mr.  Emery  has  the  largest  mahogany  mills  in  the  world,  a 
possible  capacity  estimated  at  10,000,000  feet  per  year,  and 
his  lumber  is  noted  for  its  fine  quality.  Ordinarily  mahogany 
is  imported  in  flitches  or  squares,  but  by  so  doing  much  of 
the  best  part  of  the  log  is  wasted,  and  Mr.  Emery  decided 
to  ship  in  the  round,  which  he  is  now  doing.  Messrs.  Hay- 
den  Brothers  have  received  already  a  large  amount  of 
mahogany,  and  much  more  is  on  the  way.  In  connection  with 
their  yard  the  firm  operate  a  public  lumber  dryer;  it  is  a 

12 


178  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

battery  of  the  improved  Noyes  kilns,  with  the  Nichols  bar, 
or  open,  platens.  This  is  the  pressure  dryer,  which  has 
attracted  so  much  attention,  and  seems  to  be  particularly 
adapted  to  drying  woods  that  have  a  tendency  to  warp  and 
shrink.  There  are  storage  sheds  in  connection  with  the  kilns, 
and  the  plant  has  a  drying  capacity  of  about  15,000  feet  per 
day. 

Holbrook  &  Co.,  Hardwood  Lumber  and  Timber,  estab- 
lished 1853,  Grove  and  Eighteenth  streets,  South  Branch  of 
Chicago  River. 

R.  B.  Appleby,  dealer  in  all  kinds  of  Hardwood  Lumber, 
also  Hardwood  Flooring,  dressed  and  matched.  Nos.  10  to  24 
Morgan  street. 

B.  F.  Croft,  Hardwood  Lumber  and  Timber,  Car,  Bridge 
and  Railroad  Timber  cut  to  order.  Northeast  corner  Canal 
and  18th  streets. 


R.  A.  Wells  &  Bro.,  Hardwood  Lumber,  Walnut,  Ash, 
Oak,  Hickory,  Beech,  Maple,  etc.  Logs  are  purchased  at 
various  points,  cut,  dried  and  dressed,  and  shipped  direct 
from  mill  at  reduced  prices.  Southwest  corner  Clark  and 
22d  streets. 


The  Sawyer  Goodman  Co.,  manufacturers  and  dealers  in 
Lumber,  Lath  and  Shingles.  Philetus  Sawyer,  President; 
Edgar  P.  Sawyer,  Yice-President ;  James  B.  Goodman, 
Secretary;  William  O.  Goodman,  Treasurer.  Mills, 
Menekanne,  Wis.  500  Lumber  street. 


The  T.  W.  Harvey  Lumber  Co.  T.  W.  Harvey,  Presi- 
dent; A.  C.  Badger,  Vice-President ;  C.  L.  Cross,  Secretary; 
H.  H.  Badger,  Treasurer.  22d  and  Morgan  street. 


PLANING    MILLS.  179 

The    H.     Whitbeck    Co.,     manufacturers    and    dealers 
in  lumber.     Daniel  Wells,  Jr.,  President,  Milwaukee ;  J.  H 
Whitbeck,     Secretary    and    Treasurer,    Chicago.     Mills    a 
Marinette,    Menominee    River,   Wis.    Capacity,    40,000,000 
feet;  900  feet  dockage.     310  West  22d  street. 


Hamilton  &  Merryman  Co.,  I.  K.  Hamilton,  President; 
W.  C.  Hamilton,  Vice-President ;  A.  C.  Merryman,  Sec- 
retary. Mills,  Marinette,  Wis.  Capacity,  30,000,000  feet. 
Loomis  street  near  22d. 


Cutler,  White  &  Boice,  Lumber  and  Shingles.  Cutting, 
bridge  and  elevator  bills  to  order  a  specialty ;  carry  large 
stock  of  thick  uppers  and  selects.  West  end  18th  street 
bridge. 

C.  A.  Paltzer  &  Co.  Pine  Lumber  Yards  cover  240,000 
feet.  No.  2,598  Archer  avenue,  corner  Quarry  street. 


PLANING    MILLS. 

Undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  uniformly  prosperous 
branches  of  industry  in  this  city  is  the  planing  mill  interest, 
in  which  millions  of  dollars  are  invested.  In  fact  no  better 
field  for  this  branch  of  manufacture  can  be  found  in  the 
United  States,  for  here  there  is  an  abundance  of  raw  material, 
and  a  never  ceasing  demand  for  planed  lumber,  both  for 
building  and  for  the  various  manufactures  of  doors,  sash, 
blinds,  packing  boxes,  etc.,  and  the  hardwoods  for  furniture, 
floors,  ceilings,  and  the  multitude  of  purposes  for  which  the 
finer  woods  are  used.  When  we  reflect  that  during  the 
past  year  building  improvements  were  made  in  this  city  to 
the  value  of  $  18, 000, 000,  it  is  easy  to  understand  why 
there  has  never  been  any  extensive  failure  of  parties  run- 
ning planing  mills,  and  certainly  none  is  likely  in  the 


180  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

near  future.  In  fact,  in  Chicago  the  field  for  operation  in 
any  class  of  industry  is  so  broad  and  fertile  that  any  under- 
taking will  flourish  if  conducted  upon  sound  business  prin- 
ciples, but  so  particularly  well  adapted  is  the  ground  for 
development  in  the  trade  under  consideration,  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  imagine  a  pursuit  that  assures  more  perfect  success 
to  the  operator,  be  the  capital  invested  much  or  little.  The 
small  concern  thrives  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  larger 
one,  and  the  new-comer  finds  a  cordial  welcome  and  gracious 
encouragement;  for  generous  rivalry  and  the  right  hand  of 
fellowship  to  every  competitor,  are  cardinal  virtues  with 
Chicago  business  men  in  all  the  avenues  of  industry,  and 
therein  lies  much  of  the  secret  concerning  her  success  and 
fame. 

Figures,  however  are  always  more  convincing  than  the 
strongest  verbal  statement,  and  a  glance  at  the  census 
returns  in  1880  shows  a  capital  of  $2,077,213  invested  in 
the  business,  and  a  product  of  $6,113,466.  At  present  the 
estimated  condition  of  the  industry  is  as  follows:  Number 
of  mills,  fifty-six;  capital  engaged,  $3,076,000;  wages  paid, 
$1,800,000;  product,  $13,150,000. 

Goss  &  Phillips  Manufacturing  Co.,  successors  to  the  old 
firm  of  Goss  &  Phillips,  established  in  1848,  occupy  a 
prominent  position  as  manufacturers  of  not  only  Sash, 
Doors  and  Blinds,  in  the  usual  acceptation  of  the  term,  but 
supply  every  description  of  Interior  Finish  in  Hard  and 
Soft  Wood  in  new  and  modern  styles.  They  make  a 
specialty  of  fine  finish  in  every  kind  of  Hardwood,  and  are 
glad  to  show  at  their  factory,  corner  Fisk  and  West  22d 
street,  specimens  of  workmanship  and  a  great  variety  of 
original  designs. 

PORTABLE    HOUSES. 

This  branch  of  business  has  recently  obtained  a  success- 
ful standing  in  Chicago,  caused  by  the  growing  demand  for 


PORTABLE     HOUSES.  181 

all  kinds  of  buildings  that  can  be  transported  in  a  ready- 
made  or  "  knock-down  "  shape  (that  is,  having  the  framing 
all  completed  and  ready  for  use)  to  localities  remote  from 
mills  and  lumber.  Chicago's  prominence  as  a  lumber 
market,  and  her  close  proximity  to  the  lumber  growing 
region  made  it  the  natural  point  to  which  purchasers  of 
these  houses  should  look  for  supplies. 

A.  L.  Lindsley  &  Co.  have  been  building  as  a  special 
feature  in  ready-made  houses,  a  house  composed  of 
sections,  varying  in  width  and  height  with  the  size  and 
style  of  building  ordered.  These  sections  are  composed  of 
timber  for  the  studding,  of  the  usual  size,  being  grooved  a 
limited  distance  from  the  » dges  of  the  studding,  to  allow 
two  thicknesses  of  wall  filling  to  be  inserted  and  forced 
closely  together;  this  filling  being  tongued  and  grooved, 
making  an  air-tight  section  with  a  dead  air  space  between ; 
this  section  completed,  the  size  for  an  ordinary  house,  say 
of  six  to  eight  rooms,  is  thirty-six  inches  by  ten,  twelve 
and  sixteen  feet  in  length,  is  securely  fastened  in  each  piece ; 
they  are  perfectly  solid,  and  can  be  put  in  their  places  for 
walls  and  partitions  by  one  or  two  men  with  ease,  and  when 
placed  and  secured  to  the  plates  above  and  sills  below,  are 
then  further  secured  and  made  weather  proof  by  a  beaded 
strip  3|  inches  wide,  nailed  over  the  close  joints,  made  by 
joining  the  sections;  ceilings  are  put  on  in  the  same  man- 
ner. 

They  can  manufacture  anything  from  a  shed  to  a  hotel, 
and  are  especially  adapted  for  use  in  mild  climates,  being 
light  and  compact. 

Their  facilities  for  executing  larger  orders  are  complete, 
owing  to  the  use  of  improved  machinery,  and  they  can  with 
ease  handle  at  one  time  an  order  for  fifty  houses.  A  market 
for  these  houses  has  been  found  in  many  parts  of  South 
America,  particularly  Brazil  and  Buenos  Ayres,  in  the  capital 


182  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

of  which,   "LaPlata,"  1,500   have  been  erected.      Mexico 
also  purchases  large  quantities. 

THE    JENNINGS     DRYING    MACHINE. 

The  work  of  drying  moist  articles  inaugurated  by  this 
company,  marks  a  new  departure  in  the  art  of  seasoning 
material. 

In  the  past,  processes  have  been  patented  aiid  placed  in 
successful  operation  based  on  the  direct  application  of  heat; 
these  uniformly  relying  on  their  different  modes  to  sub- 
stantiate their  claims  of  superiority. 

The  Jenning's  Co.,  on  the  other  hand,  has  followed 
nature's  course,  drying  their  material  not  by  applying  heat, 
but  by  applying  dried  air  rapidly  over  the  article  to  be 
deprived  of  moisture,  thus  gaining  many  advantages  in  the 
treatment  of  damp  material  not  possessed  by  other  processes. 
Among  these  may  be  named  the  following:  Preserving  the 
flavor  of  fruit  to  so  marked  an  extent  that  the  different 
varieties  of  the  same  species  may  be  distinguished  after 
treatment  as  readily  as  before;  preserving  the  color, 
strength,  and  firmness  of  texture  in  lumber;  drying  leather 
without  raising  the  grain  or  injuring  the  color;  disinfecting 
offensive  material,  such  as  tankage  or  glue,  while  in  the 
process  of  drying,  so  thoroughly  that  not  a  particle  of  odor 
is  given  off  by  the  exhaust  pan,  as  has  been  proved  by  tests 
made  in  this  city  under  the  auspices  of  a  committee  of  the 
Citizens'  Association.  This  process  uniformly  saves  time  in 
drying,  in  some  articles  completing  the  extracting  of  moist- 
ure in  one-third,  and  in  others  accomplishing  the  result  in 
one-tenth  of  the  time  required  by  other  methods. 

THE  JENNINGS  PROCESS  PATENTS  cover,  with  many  others, 
the  following  points: 

Common  outside  air  is  driven  in  pipes  through  intense 
heat,  by  which  treatment  it  is  deprived  of  a  large  proportion 
of  its  moisture. 


THE    JENNINGS    DRYING    MACHINE.  183 

The  air  thus  dried  is  conveyed  into  a  cooling  apartment, 
in  which  its  temperature  is  rapidly  reduced  to  any  desired 
degree,  and  the  balance  of  the  moisture  extracted. 

Thence  the  air,  dry  and  cool,  is  conveyed  to  the  drying- 
ing  room,  and,  by  mechanical  means,  thoroughly  distributed 
to  every  part.  After  absorbing  the  moisture  from  the 
material  in  process  of  drying,  it  is  removed  and  its  place 
supplied  with  treated  air.  This  process  of  removing  the 
moist  air,  and  supplying  its  place  with  treated  air,  is  repeated 
every  moment. 

Thus  in  an  inexpensive  manner  they  dry  and  cool  the 
atmosphere,  and  again  in  an  inexpensive  manner  distribute 
it  through  the  drying-room,  and  then  exhaust  it  out. 

By  this  treatment  is  secured  a  concentrated  natural  dry- 
air  force,  to  apply  to  any  material — working  in  damp  weather 
as  well  as  dry,  night  as  well  as  day,  excelling  nature  in  the 
immense  saving  of  time,  and  excelling  the  kiln  drying  pro- 
cesses in  time,  in  cost,  and  above  all  in  the  condition  in  which 
it  leaves  the  material. 

Extracting,  not  expelling,  the  moisture,  they  avoid  the 
semi-cooked  condition  that  the  kiln  gives  to  material  dried 
within  its  walls,  and  in  avoiding  this  condition,  as  well  as  all 
excess  of  heat,  they  accomplish  a  natural  seasoning  of  their 
material,  as  well  as  rapid  drying. 

There  being  no  excessive  heat  in  any  part  of  the  drying- 
room,  the  temperature  of  the  material  dees  not  vary.  Thus 
is  avoided  that  twisting  and  warping  incident  to  the  material 
being  in  different  conditions  of  dryness  and  heat,  in  different 
locations. 

Not  being  a  hot  air  process,  they  do  not  rapidly  dry  the 
outside  exposure  of  the  material,  hence  do  not  require  to 
dampen  the  surface  by  injections  of  steam.  The  room  being 
cool  and  dry  and  the  moisture  extracted  from  the  material 
quickly  exhausted  out  of  the  room,  there  is  no  precipitation 
of  moisture  anywhere  within  the  drying  apartment. 


184:  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

There  are  no  steam  pipes  to  require  attention,  no  freezing 
and  thawing  to  be  provided  against,  no  expenses  attending 
the  plant  when,  by  reason  of  the  season  or  other  causes,  it  is 
not  in  use. 

And,  as  will  be  seen,  it  can  be  used  for  Lumber,  Leather, 
Grain,  Cotton  Seed,  Wood  Pulp,  Bricks,  and  many  other 
processes. 

The  patent  is  operated  by  The  Jennings  Drying 
Machine  Co.  .  W.  H.  Murray,  President;  J.  W.  Preston, 
Vice-President ;  G.  H.  Hulburt,  Secretary,  and  J.  F.  Gil- 
lette, Treasurer. 


FIREPRGOFING  AND  TERRA  GOTTA. 


Nowhere  in  the  world  is  the  fireproofing  of  important 
buildings  so  general  as  in  our  Western  cities,  but  it  is  only 
lately  that  the  thorough  fireproofing  of  all  parts  of  a  struct- 
ure has  been  accomplished. 

The  Pioneer  Fire-proof  Construction  Co.,  formerly  Ottawa 
Tile  Co.,  are  manufacturers  and  contractors  of  every 
description  of  tile  for  fire-proof  buildings,  and  are  also  deal- 
ers in  chimney  flue  linings,  fire  clay  and  fire  sand,  drain  tile 
and  sewer  pipe,  with  an  office  and  yard  corner  Clark  and  16th 
streets. 

The  clay  mines  and  the  works  of  the  Tile  Co.  are  located 
at  Ottawa  and  cover  fourteen  acres.  The  first  stratum  is 
loam,  the  second  shale,  the  third  about  two  feet  of  a  good 
quality  of  coal,  and  at  last  a  twelve  foot  vein  of  the  best 
quality  of  fire-clay,  with  outcroppings  of  a  fine  white  plastic 
potter's  clay.  The  clay-bank  stands  on  a  picturesquely  located 
hill,  and  though  at  present  the  clay  is  hauled  by  wagons,  the 
company  contemplate  a  tramway  that  will  carry  the  clay  by 
gravity  most  of  the  distance  to  the  works. 

The  clay  cellar  has  a  capacity  of  about  1,000  tons,  where 
the  wagons  unload  the  clay  through  hatchways.  This  clay 
is  carried  to  the  huge  crushers.  This  apparatus  consists 
of  a  large  circular  pan  revolved  by  the  huge  shaft  lead- 
ing from  the  water-power,  and  two  cast-iron  wheels  about 
5  feet  diameter  by  10  inches  of  thickness  and  4,500  pounds 

185 


186  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

weight,  which  are  in  turn  revolved  by  the  pan  beneath,, 
the  rotary  motion  of  the  pan  and  the  straight  motion  of  the 
wheels  set  at  right  angles  with  the  shaft  giving  them  an 
enormous  grinding  as  well  as  crushing  power.  The  crushed 
clay  finds  an  outlet  in  the  side  of  the  pan,  where  it  is  caught 
up  by  ordinary  elevator  buckets  and  carried  to  the  top  of  a 
tower  70  feet  high,  where  it  is  forced  through  a  screen,  and 
passing  through  a  shute  is  conveyed  again  to  the  ground 
floor,  where  it  is  tempered  in  a  similar  machine  to  the 
crusher,  the  wheels  being  only  about  half  as  thick.  There 
are  two  sets  of  crushers  and  two  tempering  machines,  and 
their  capacity  is  about  100  tons  per  day.  The  tempered 
clay  is  again  elevated  and  distributed  to  several  steam-presses 
which  produce  the  tile.  The  press  consists  of  a  cylinder 
placed  in  a  perpendicular  position,  and  works  a  plunger 
which  forces  the  clay  through  the  dies  and  on  the  floor  belowr 
the  tile  is  cut  to  the  required  length  and  wheeled  away  to 
the  dry-rooms. 

The  dry-rooms  are  arranged  in  two  three-story  buildings, 
all  built  of  3^-inch  hollow  tile.  In  fact,  the  company  use 
hollow  tile  wherever  it  is  possible,  in  walls,  chimney  stacks, 
etc.,  as  it  has  proved  to  be  the  best  material  to  withstand  the 
heat;  the  surface  of  a  kiln  chimney  being  comparatively 
cool  with  a  coal  fire  on  the  inner  side. 

These  buildings  are  arranged  with  three  straight  floors 
with  half-story  communications  made  by  easy  inclines  so 
that  material  can  be  readily  transferred  from  floor  to  floor. 
They  cover  90,000  feet  of  space,  and  were  almost  entirely 
covered  with  the  different  descriptions  of  hollow  tile  which 
are  constantly  turned  or  handled  on  the  floor  till  dry  enough 
to  burn.  The  tile  is  also  moved  from  floor  to  floor  by  an 
ingeniously  arranged  belt  elevator  fitted  with  shelves.  The 
dry-rooms  are  all  fitted  up  with  over  13,000  feet  of  steam 
pipes  to  assist  in  drying. 


FIKEPROOFING  AND  TEKKA  COTTA.          187 

Perhaps  the  most  important  feature  of  this  great  "plan" 
is  the  burning  kilns.  These,  thirteen  in  number,  are 
arranged  in  two  tiers,  and  are  all  of  the  latest  improved 
pattern.  They  are  circular  in  form,  about  22  feet  inside 
diameter  at  the  base,  about  12  feet  high  in  the  center,  and 
built  of  firebrick.  The  doors  are  upon  an  improved  plan 
patented  by  Mr.  Johnson,  the  bands  around  the  kilns  being 
fastened  to  an  iron  door  frame,  which  receives  the  expansion 
or  contraction  of  the  bands.  About  eleven  kilns  a  week  are 
burned,  the  action  of  the  heat  upon  the  clay  being  excep- 
tionally perfect,  few  cracks  being  observable  in  the  finished 
tile. 

The  motive  power  of  these  works  consists  of  125-horse- 
power,  run  by  a  25-inch  Victor  Turbine  wheel  under  a  28- 
foot  head.  Two  boilers  are  used  for  heating  and  supplying 
steam  for  the  die  presses,  and  an  engine  of  60-horse-power 
is  held  in  reserve  for  emergencies,  for  as  these  works  run 
night  and  day  the  possibility  of  a  stoppage  from  any  cause 
must  be  provided  for.  This  hydraulic  plant  is  considered 
by  experts  to  be  the  best  that  has  ever  been  placed  in  the 
West.  The  water-wheel  is  set  on  a  solid  base  of  natural 
rock,  supported  upon  iron  rails.  A  four-foot  pit  is  dug  in 
the  rock  below  the  wheel  connected  with  the  tail  race.  The 
water  from  the  hydraulic  basin,  which  is  27  feet  above  the 
tail  water,  is  conducted  to  the  wheel  through  a  4-foot  iron 
pipe  120  feet  long,  water  being  taken  from  3  feet  below  the 
water  level  in  the  basin  above.  This  obviates  all  difficulty 
from  sticks,  grass  and  other  obstructions  passing  through 
the  pipe,  and  interfering  with  the  operation  of  the  wheel, 
and  effectually  does  away  with  the  possibility  of  all  leaks. 

The  history  of  these  works  is  as  rapid  as  it  is  extraordi- 
nary. Three  years  ago  an  old  mill  was  converted  into  a 
small  factory,  and,  with  additions  and  improvements,  has 
become  what  the  visitor  now  sees,  the  largest  and  best 


188  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

conducted  fireproofing  manufactory  of  the  West.  A  great  deal 
of  work  besides  the  construction  of  fireproof  buildings,  kilns, 
etc.,  has  been  done.  Some  parts  of  the  works  have  b sen  built 
upon  raised  ground,  and  underneath  the  walls  the  tail  race 
from  the  water  passes  through  an  arched  tunnel  and  out  to 
the  river  beyond.  This  water  tunnel  had  to  be  built  directly 
below  a  row  of  kilns,  and  as  the  chimney-stacks  are  large 
and  heavy  the  engineering  skill  exhibited  is  worthy  of  note. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are  Mr.  George  M.  Moulton, 
President;  Mr.  A.  T.  Griffin,  Vice-President;  Mr.  E.  V. 
Johnson,  Secretary,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager ;  and  it 
is  due  to  the  latter  gentleman's  enterprise  and  business 
sagacity  that  the  building  and  progress  of  these  works  is  due. 
The  buildings  were  planned  by  him ;  he  is  the  patentee  of  a 
number  of  the  different  patents  of  the  company,  not  alone  in 
the  different  descriptions  of  tile,  but  in  much  of  the  superior 
apparatus  employed  in  the  manipulation  of  the  clay,  notably 
the  firekiln  doors,  which  are  an  invaluable  improvement 
upon  those  ordinarily  used.  As  the  business  of  the  com- 
pany extends  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  Mr.  Johnson  has 
become  widely  known  to  architects  everywhere,  and  few  young 
men  enjoy  a  more  enviable  reputation  than  he. 

Among  the  many  buildings  fireproofed  by  this  company 
we  refer  to  the  following: 

The  Chicago  City  Hall  and  Court  House,  Chicago,  HI. 

Pullman  Palace  Car  Go's  Building,  Chicago,  HI. 

Koyal  Insurance  Go's  Building,  Chicago,  HI. 

Chas.  Counselman's  Building,  Chicago,  111. 

New  Board  of  Trade  Building,  Chicago,  111. 

Hiram  Sibley'8  Mammoth  Warehouses,  Chicago,  HI. 

Calumet  Building,  Chicago,  111. 

Potter  Palmer's  Hotel  Building,  Chicago,  HI. 

Cook  County  Jail  and  Court  House,  Chicago,  111. 

Kendall  Building,  Chicago,  HI. 

West  Hotel,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Colby  Building,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 


TEERA    GOTTA.  189 

Stillman  Apartment  Building,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Montgomery  County  Court  House,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
Gay  Building,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Equitable  Life  Insurance  Go's  Building,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
United  States  Court  House  and  Post  Office  Buildings,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 
And  numerous  other  prominent  buildings  throughout  the  country. 

TERRA     GOTTA. 

The  manufacture  of  Terra  Gotta  (baked  earth),  though 
comparatively  of  new  growth  in  this  country,  is  as  old  as 
history. 

Its  value  as  a  building  material  lies  in  its  absolute  inde- 
structibility. In  cases  of  great  conflagrations,  such  as  those 
which  destroyed  Boston  and  our  own  city  a  few  years  ago, 
it  is  known  that  neither  stone  nor  iron  will  resist  destruction. 

The  former  is  resolved  into  powder  and  carried  off  to 
the  four  winds  on  the  wings  of  the  flame,  and  the  latter 
curls  up  and  collapses  into  chaotic  ruin — while  Terra  Cotta, 
made  properly  of  the  light  material,  is  indestructible  by 
any  known  heat,  and  benefits  by  that  which  destroys  all  else. 

Its  value  in  an  artistic  sense  lies  in  its  plasticity  while 
in  a  raw  state,  and  the  certainty  with  which  it  retains  the 
form  given  it  with  outlines  clear  and  sharp  after  it  is  burnt. 
It  is  also  susceptible  of  varied  colorings,  the  familiar  dark 
red  color,  due  to  a  large  proportion  of  oxide  of  iron  in  the 
clay,  which  prevails  in  the  larger  proportion  of  Terra  Cotta 
not  necessarily  accompanying  all  kinds  of  the  product,  it 
varying  from  a  rich  cream  or  buff  color  through  all  the 
various  shades  to  a  dark  burnt  umber.  To  sum  up  in  a 
word  its  excellencies,  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  as  desirable 
as  stone  or  iron  and  much  cheaper,  being  lighter,  it  may 
be  shipped  to  any  distance  at  a  less  cost  for  freight.  It  can 
be  made  as  ornamental  as  desired  at  a  minimum  of  expense. 
It  has  been  endorsed  by  the  leading  architects  of  the  country ; 
used  in  many  of  the  largest  public  and  private  buildings 
and  given  universal  satisfaction. 


190  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

Architects  and  builders  are  taking  advantage  of  its  artis- 
tic beauty  and  its  serviceable  qualities  as  well,  and  it  is 
rapidly  taking  the  place  heretofore  occupied  by  stone  and 
iron  for  the  facing  and  trimming  of  the  imposing  edifices 
now  being  erected. 

The  North  Western  Terra  Cotta  Works  were  established 
in  Chicago  in  1878,  by  the  present  proprietors,  True, 
Brunkhorst  &  Co.,  and  to-day  they  have  made  Chicago  as 
a  depot  for  the  supply  of  this  product  second  to  no  other 
city  in  this  country. 

Their  works  are  located  in  close  proximity  to  the  city, 
so  that  the  goods  of  their  manufacture  may  be  shipped  by 
any  line  at  a  mere  nominal  cost.  They  cover  a  large  extent 
of  ground,  and  are  fitted  with  every  appliance  for  the  suc- 
cessful production  of  superior  work.  They  employ  a  large 
force  of  the  most  skilled  workmen  to  be  obtained,  enabling 
them  to  manufacture  every  variety  of  architectural  detail 
from  special  designs.  They  are  also  constantly  adding  new 
designs  to  their  stock  of  patterns,  sketches  of  which  are 
from  time  to  time  prepared. 

So  perfect  are  their  arrangements,  that  now  any  kind  of 
Architectural  Work  can  be  furnished  from  special  designs 
in  from  three  to  four  weeks,  the  same  formerly  taking  as 
many  months. 

In  addition  to  Architectural  Terra  Cotta,  they  manufac- 
ture designs  for  interior  decoration,  tiles,  horticultural  and 
ornamental  Terra  Cotta  in  many  varieties.  They  give  con- 
stant employment  to  over  200  men,  and  their  annual  output 
exceeds  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 

In  addition  to  the  entire  town  trade  (they  being  the  only 
manufacturers  of  these  goods  in  Chicago)  their  products 
are  shipped  throughout  the  entire  North west,t  he  Southwest, 
and  the  West  to  San  Francisco. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  prominent  buildings  in 


TEERA    COTTA.  191 

course  of  construction   or  lately  completed,  for  which  they 
liave  furnished  Terra  Cotta: 

Pullman  Palace  Car  Company's  Office  Building,  Chicago. 

Charles  Counselman's  Office  Building,  Chicago. 

C.  B.   &  Q.   Eailroad  Company's  Depot,  Chicago. 

Open  Board  of  Trade  Building,   Chicago. 

Prank  B.   Smith's  Business  Block,  Norfolk,  Ya. 

Julius  L.  Brown's  residence,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Abbott  &  Colby  Block,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

National  German-American  Bank,  St.  Paul,  Minn, 

A.  L.  Mason's  Store  Building,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


INTERIOR     DECORATIONS     AND 
v       FURNISHINGS. 


Interior  decorations  have  undergone  such  a  complete 
revolution  in  the  past  decade  that  they  now  occupy  the 
most  prominent  position  in  the  construction  of  private 
residences.  Gradually  beautiful,  harmonious  and  aesthetic 
ideas,  as  they  should  be  understood,  have  taken  the  place  of 
the  cold  and  barren  homes  of  former  years.  Notice  the 
difference  between  the  oil  painted  walls  and  bare  ceilings, 
stone  mantels  and  rough  pine  floors  of  years  past  and  the 
handsomely  hung  and  decorated  apartments  of  the  present, 
adorned  with  their  cosey  wood  mantels  and  beautiful  hard- 
wood wainscotings  and  floors,  the  latter  covered  with  rugs 
and  carpets  of  the  finest  texture.  The  same  taste  has  invad- 
ed the  homes  of  the  mechanic  and  artisan  as  refined 
civilization  gradually  creeps  into  the  heart,  making  of  what 
was  once  but  little  better  than  a  hovel  an  apartment  of 
luxury.  "  A  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  forever"  said  one  of 
our  contemporaries  in  a  moment  of  exultation,  but  how  could 
it  bettei  be  illustrated  than  by  our  firesides,  where  are  to  be 
educated  and  trained  the  coming  generation  of  a  nation 
destined  to  rule  the  world  of  commerce,  labor  and  art. 

Fine  arts,  music  and  literature  are  becoming  subjects  of 
more  careful  attention  in  our  houses,  and  it  behooves  us  to 
protect  these  by  placing  their  surroundings  in  perfect  har- 
mony, that  the  infant  mind  may  develop  in  an  atmosphere 
of  delicate  sentiment. 

192 


INTERIOR    DECORATIONS    AND    FURNISHINGS.  193 

But  how  may  this  be  done?  you  will  say.  The  answer 
is  simple.  Devote  the  means  and  time  usually  sacrificed  to 
worthless  pastimes,  in  adorning  and  decorating  your  homes, 
be  they  palaces  or  cottages,  making  them  pleasing  and 
attractive.  The  term  "  Interior  Decoration"  is  a  compara- 
tively new  one,  and  implies  all  that  may  be  applied  to  the 
embellishing  of  the  interior  of  a  building,  including 
frescoing,  paper  hanging,  wood  working,  brass  working, 
furnishing,  stained  glass,  etc.,  which  we  shall  treat  of 
separately. 

Frescoing,  an  Italian  and  Spanish  word  of  a  Latin  deri- 
vation " figus"  meaning  fresh  (in  French  "/res^we"),  by 
which  term  is  known  the  decorations  of  the  Moorish  and 
Italian  palaces.  Faribolt  describes  it  as  being  a  method  of 
painting  with  universal  or  earthy  pigments  upon  a  "freshly" 
laid  stucco  ground  of  lime  or  gypsum.  The  pigments  unite 
with  the  lime  or  gypsum  ground  and  sink  in,  so  that  the 
colors  become  fixed  and  durable.  It  is  a  very  common  error 
to  term  the  ancient  paintings  found  on  church  walls,  etc., 
"frescos,"  but  there  is  scarcely  an  instance  of  genuine  fresco 
among  them.  They  are  distemper  paintings  on  plaster, 
and  quite  distinct  in  their  style,  durability  and  mode  of 
manipulation^  which  chiefly  consists  in  stenciling.  Instead 
of  these,  are  now  more  commonly  used  the  most  elaborate 
wall  papers,  leather  hangings,  Lincrusta- Walton,  tapestries 
and  papier  mache. 

This  latter  is  especially  a  novel  feature  in  decoration, 
and  is  becoming  more  popular  every  day,  from  the  varied 
way  in  which  it  may  be  used  and  treated. 

It  is  equally  well  adapted  to  household  or  theatrical 
decoration,  and  one  of  the  finest  examples  of  its  merits  may 
be  found  in  the  lavish  remodeling  of  the  Haver! y  Theatre. 
The  main  entrance  and  the  art  galleries  are  literally 
covered  with  this  material  and  laid  in  solid  bronze  colors, 
13 


194  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

glittering  under  the  sparkle  of  the  incandescent  lights.  The 
material  in  itself  is  bold  in  relief,  light  and  flexible  in  text- 
ure, and  easily  put  up,  thus  uniting  all  the  qualities  required. 
Lincrusta- Walton  is  also  an  embossed  material  of  English 
invention,  much  used  in  combination  with  wall  papers,  of 
such  exquisite  taste  that  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  anything 
to  surpass  them  in  beauty. 

The  French,  particularly,  have  elevated  this  trade  to  be 
ranked  as  an  artistic  profession.  As  a  nation  they  were  the 
first  to  decorate  their  apartments  with  artificial  hangings;  at 
a  time  when  plastic  and  wall  paper  were  unknown  they 
covered  their  walls  with  unique  tapestries,  woven  by  the 
women  of  the  castle,  or  mansion,  when  their  chieftains  were 
at  war.  A  few  fine  specimens  of  these  gobelins,  hundreds 
of  years  old,  may  be  seen  in  this  country.  Gen.  Philip 
Sheridan  owns  a  valuable  collection,  and  Messrs.  Healy  & 
Millet,  of  Chicago,  possess  a  few  rare  pieces  of  large  dimen- 
sions. 

Wood  work  embraces  in  itself  many  varied  and  distinct 
branches,  and  more  wood  is  used  in  construction  in  America 
than  in  any  other  portion  of  the  globe,  and  why  not,  since 
our  forests  yield  such  enormous  quantities  of  rich  and  varied 
grain  ? 

Wood  mantels  and  staircases,  being  of  a  peculiar  nature, 
require  special  talent  in  construction  and  are  mainly  on  the 
order  of  cabinet  work,  while  the  balance  of  the  interior 
wood  finish  may  equally  be  finished  in  the  cabinet  shop  or 
planing-mill. 

Wood  mantels  may  be  made  of  a  very  high  order  of 
excellence,  according  to  the  fittings  and  tile  employed  to 
complete  them.  A  few  words  may  here  be  said  in  regard  to 
their  durability  and  safety,  many  persons  still  laboring  under 
the  delusion  that  they  are  liable  to  burn.  Such  ideas  are 
erroneous  as  no  danger  can  possibly  arise  from  a  carefully 
built  mantel. 


INTERIOR    DECORATIONS   AND    FURNISHINGS.  195 

Floors  are  laid  in  hardwood,  finished  in  oil,  with  elabo- 
rate borders,  the  centre  covered  by  a  rug  or  carpet. 

Wainscotings,  largely  used  in  dining-rooms,  halls  and 
libraries,  employ  varied  wood,  oak  being  the  finish  for  din- 
ing-rooms and  the  beaded  being  the  most  in  demand,  while 
a  new  form  of  mouse  bead  is  coming  rapidly  into  general 
favor.  Inlaid  panel  ceilings,  etc.,  are  now  largely  in 
demand. 

Furnishing  includes  the  furniture  proper  and  upholster- 
ing, and  also  the  grouping  of  all  the  minor  details,  which 
requires  much  tact  and  attention,  and  which  are,  as  it  were, 
the  finishing  touches  added  to  the  room,  as  the  last  tints  are 
added  by  the  master  hand  to  a  painting  before  it  is  turned 
over  to  the  critical  eye  of  the  connoisseur. 

Furniture  proper  has  had  its  many  changes,  passing 
alternately  from  "  Renaissance  "  to  "  Boule "  and  Louis 
XVI.  styles.  The  main  feature  in  Renaissance  was  in  the 
bold  carving,  while  the  "Boule"  was  in  laying  metal 
carvings  and  moldings  in  wood,  and  the  style  Louis  XVI. 
was  all  heavily  gilt.  During  the  term  of  the  second  empire 
Mahogany  and  Veneering  were  much  in  use,  and  it  is  only 
of  late  years  that  the  more  massive  pieces  of  furniture, 
executed  from  solid  woods  of  fancy  grains  generally  match- 
ing the  finish  of  the  rooms  and  forming  part  of  these  as  fix- 
tures, have  superseded  the  heretofore  more  beautiful  than 
useful  gueridons  and  chairs. 

The  firm  of  Reckenberg  &  Clarke  are  large  manufact- 
urers of  fine  furniture  and  interior  fittings  for  both  public 
buildings  and  private  residences.  They  manufacture  hard- 
wood doors,  mantels  and  stairs  as  well,  and  we  here  append 
a  list  of  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  residences  and  build- 
ings which  have  been  embellished  by  them:  Palmer  House, 
J.  W.  Doane,  B.  F.  Moulton,  A.  G.  Spaulding. 

Carpets  and  curtain  hangings  have  gradually  assumed 


196  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

warmer  tones,  blending  agreeably  together  with  the  decora- 
tions and  stained  glass,  which  occupies  now  such  a  prominent 
position  in  our  homes. 

Glass  itself  was  supposed  to  have  been  discovered  by  the 
Phoenicians.'  Pliny's  history  of  that  race  relates  that  some 
Phoenician  merchants,  while  on  the  beach,  rested  their 
cooking  pots  on  blocks  of  natron,  thereby  producing  glass 
by  the  action  of  heat  on  the  alkali  and  sand. 

This  may  have  been  the  case,  but  it  is  proven  beyond  a 
doubt  that  the  Egyptians  manufactured  glass  long  before 
the  Christian  era.  Glass  ornaments,  now  in  the  British 
Museum,  had  been  found  at  Thebes  by  Signer  Drovetti, 
dating  back  to  2380  B.  0.,  and  it  is  supposed  that  the 
Chinese  used  glass  vessels  previous  to  this.  Be  it  as  it  may, 
glass  was  not  introduced  into  windows,  as  a  transparent 
substance,  until  much  later,  and  the  first  "  colored "  glass 
windows  we  find  any  record  of  date  as  far  back  as  the  fifth 
century  of  our  era,  the  earliest  "  existing  "  colored  windows 
being  in  the  Abbey  of  Tezernsee,  in  Bavaria,  These  are 
from  the  tenth  century.  From  thence  little  is  heard  of 
glass  painting  until  the  thirteenth  century,  when  this  art 
flourished,  until  the  sixteenth  century.  At  that  epoch  we 
find  a  mention  of  opaque  or  opalescent  glass  in  a  crude 
form,  when  it  suddenly  declines  and  is  lost  to  notice  until  the 
present  century,  when  it  was  revived  in  Germany,  England 
and  France.  It  would  thus  seem,  from  past  observa- 
tion, that  the  use  of  glass  has  been  at  intervals  of  about  300 
years,  remaining  in  fashion  for  about  the  same  period. 
From  the  commencement  of  this  century  up  to  within  the 
past  ten  years,  however,  the  style  of  stained  glass  has  been 
much  the  same,  but  within  the  past  decade  important  changes 
have  taken  place,  substituting  strong,  heavy  colors,  by 
lighter  and  softer  ones,  and  replacing  painting  by  trans- 
parent mosaic  work,  or  what  is  more  generally  known  as 


INTERIOR    DECORATIONS    AND    FURNISHINGS.  197 

"Art  Stained  Glass."  This  has  been  accomplished  to  a 
great  extent  by  introducing  new  glass  of  different  forms 
and  compositions,  in  the  shape  of  tiles,  castings,  pressed, 
cut  and  broken  jewels,  and  opalescent  glass  of  every  imag- 
inable shade  and  color,  made  and  so  blended  that  any  part 
of  a  picture  can  be  accurately  reproduced.  One  can  see  at 
once  the  immeasurable  advantages  derived  from  this,  and 
some  of  the  most  beautiful  effects  have  been  accomplished 
by  the  combination  of  this  style  of  work  and  incandescent 
light. 

It  must  be  stated  here,  with  all  due  credit  to  American 
Stained  Glass  manufacturers,  that  this  opalescent  glass  is  a 
strictly  American  invention,  and  when  the  eminent  artist, 
Paul  Philippoteaux,  who  painted  the  "Battle  of  Gettysburg," 
returned  to  Europe,  he  ordered  some  very  elaborate  win- 
dows of  Messrs.  Healy  &  Millet  for  his  studio  in  Paris. 
The  same  firm  are  continually  engaged  in  catering  to  the 
development  of  public  interest  in  this  branch,  and  creating 
novelties  in  their  unique  designs  and  materials  employed. 

(It  is  a  pleasure  to  stroll  through  their  studio  and  sales- 
rooms and  there  see  displayed  the  manifold  resources  for 
embellishing  interiors.)  Be  it  as  it  may,  there  is  still  an 
immense  field  upon  which  to  dispute  the  laurels,  and  it  is  a 
recognized  fact  that,  as  the  art  of  making  glass  has  grad- 
ually moved  for  generations  and  centuries  westward  from 
China  to  America,  so  it  seems  the  progress  is  still  extending 
westward,  for  Chicago  is  now  valiantly  disputing  the  right 
with  the  East  of  ranking  first  for  genuine  beauty  and  good 
taste  in  the  art  of  Stained  Glass. 

McCully  &  Miles,  whose  establishment  is  located  corner 
of  Michigan  avenue  and  Madison  street,  are  also  largely 
engaged  in  manufacturing  ornamental  Stained  Glass. 

Many  prominent  public  buildings  and  residences  in  this 
city  and  throughout  the  Northwest  have  been  ornamented 
by  them. 


198  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

DUMB    WAITERS. 

A  most  important  adjunct  to  a  well  appointed  house  is  a 
"  dumb  waiter."  They  not  only  overcome  many  times  the 
decided  objection  that  the  gentler  sex  have  to  going  up  and 
down  stairs,  but  are  of  great  convenience  for  the  carrying 
of  food  when  served  on  floors  other  than  that  on  which  it  is 
cooked,  coal,  soiled  linen,  etc. 

We  call  special  attention  to  those  made  by  Mr.  M.  B. 
Sweezey,  of  No.  120,  20th  street,  which  are  provided  with 
an  automatic  catch  or  ratchet,  which  prevents  the  falling  of 
the  waiter,  or  holds  it  in  place  during  the  loading  and 
unloading  process,  and  working  as  before  stated,  automatic- 
ally, is  not  dependent  on  the  thoughtfulness  of  the  person 
using  it  to  prevent  the  serious  accidents  that  in  those  not 
protected  in  this  way  frequently  occur. 

So  superior  are  they  that  they  are  recommended  by  many 
of  our  leading  architects,  and  have  been  introduced  into 
many  of  our  most  beautiful  residences,  among  others  those 
owned  by  C.  B.  Blair,  I.  G.  Lombard,  J.  W.  Doan,  M.  D. 
Wells  and  Amos  Grannis. 


IRON  AND  STEEL. 


The  iron  and  steel  industry  is  the  oldest  of  which  there 
is  any  record  in  the  world's  history,  and  it  may  strictly  be 
regarded  as  the  parent  of  all  other  manufacturing  interests, 
since  none  can  be  successfully  conducted  without  the  aid  of 
these  materials.  Its  influence  on  the  general  commercial  and 
manufacturing  interests  of  Chicago  is  of  such  importance 
that  the  following  historical  review  o£  the  subject  will  be 
found  of  more  than  ordinary  interest. 

There  is  no  iron  ore  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago. 
Neither  is  there  any  coal  to  be  had  within  a  radius  of  many 
miles,  which,  either  by  cokeing  or  direct  use,  has  so  far  been 
adaptable  to  the  smelting  of  ore ;  yet  the  returns  of  the  last 
census  show  that  Chicago,  which  ten  years  previously  occu- 
pied practically  no  position  at  all  as  an  iron  producing  center, 
was  in  the  year  -1880  the  fifth  center  in  the  whole  country. 
For  a  hundred  years  Pennsylvania  has  kept  the  lead  in  the 
production  of  iron,  but  during  the  decade  ending  in  1880  it 
increased  its  production  by  only  eighty-seven  per  cent., 
whereas  the  increase  in  the  State  of  Illinois  reached  the 
wonderful  proportion  of  more  than  fifteen  hundred  per  cent., 
the  material  part  of  which  was  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  While 
for  the  production  of  pig  metal,  etc.,  Chicago  ranks  as  the 
fifth  center,  in  the  production  of  Bessemer  steel,  this  city  in 
the  past  ten  years  has.  almost  by  a  single  stride,  reached  the 
position  of  the  second  center,  not  only  as  against  any  city 

199 


200  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

or  county  but  also  as  against  any  State  in  the  Union.  The 
manufacture  of  iron  in  all  the  multifarious  ways  of  which 
modern  genius  has  conceived,  has  kept  pace  with  the  pro- 
duction of  crude  material,  and  the  annual  value  of  the  out- 
put of  Chicago  now  reaches  the  sum  of  $50,000,000. 

It  would,  on  a  cursory  glance  at  the  primal  natural 
condition  of  the  States  be  supposed  that  Pennsylvania,  hold- 
ing, as  it  does,  within  its  borders  the  finest  coals  for  smelt- 
ing and  among  the  best  ores  in  the  country,  would  be  able 
to  hold  indefinitely  the  proud  position  of  the  chief  iron  pro- 
ducing and  manufacturing  State.  Particularly  would  this 
be  the  case  when  the  enormous  advantages  it  has  in  its  long 
prestige  and  immense  plant  are  considered.  But  on  a  closer 
examination  of  the  facts,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  originally 
highly  favorable  natural  and  artificial  conditions  not  only 
may  be,  but  actually  are  being  overcome  by  an  equally 
natural  movement  of  population,  geographical  position,  and 
by  the  construction  of  railways  and  other  means  of  transport- 
ation. When  more  than  a  century  ago,  Pennsylvania 
became  noted  for  its  iron  production,  it  had  besides  its 
natural  position  in  respect  to  ores  and  coals,  another  and  a 
no  less  important  place — that  of  about  the  center  of  popu- 
lation, and  for  a  long  time  its  producers  and  manufacturers 
virtually  enjoyed  the  monopoly  of  the  trade,  supplying  very 
largely  not  only  the  States  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  but 
also  the  near  and  remote  sections  of  the  South  and  West 
With  the  movement  of  population  westward  and  the  discov- 
ery of  inexhaustable  veins  of  ore  in  Michigan,  the  position 
changed,  and  the  question  as  to  which  section  or  location 
was  to  supply  the  demand  of  the  future  became  simply  one 
of  transportation  and  geographical  position. 

Here,  in  brief,  is  the  explanation  of  the  wonderful 
increase  in  the  iron  trade  of  Chicago,  and  in  the  same  can 
readily  be  seen  the  certain  promise  of  still  more  rapid  and 


IKON    AND    STEEL.  201 

more  wonderful  growth  of  this  trade  in  the  future.  By 
reference  to  the  map,  Chicago,  it  will  be  seen,  is  situated 
about  midway  between  the  ore  beds  of  the  northern  penin- 
sula of  Michigan  and  the  coals  of  Pennsylvania,  while  to 
the  West  and  Northwest  there  is,  easily  accessible  by  water 
transportation  and  by  many  lines  of  railways,  an  immense 
virgin  empire  Capable  of  maintaining  a  population  greater 
than  that  of  all  Europe.  To  supply  the  wants  of  the  mill- 
ions of  people  who  will  settle,  increase  and  thrive  in  this 
vast  domain,  is  unquestionably  the  destiny  of  the  producers 
and  manufacturers  of  Chicago.  The  ores  of  Northern 
Michigan  are  all  that  can  be  desired  by  the  producers  of  pig 
metal.  Up  to  this  time  no  better  ores  have  been  discovered 
anywhere,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  not  only  no  better 
ores,  but  none  even  equally  as  good,  are  likely  to  be  found 
in  the  United  States  or  elsewhere.  Then  besides,  the  anthra- 
cite coals  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  coals  from  which  coke  is 
made  in  that  State  and  in  West  Virginia,  have  only  just 
begun  to  be  drawn  upon,  and  ages  must  elapse  ere  the  sup- 
ply of  ore,  coke  or  coal  fails.  From  Lake  Superior,  the  ores 
come  direct  by  water  in  large  quantities  and  at  low  rates. 
The  coal  and  coke  come  not  only  by  many  competing  trunk 
lines,  directly  from  Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia,  but 
also  by  way  of  numerous  lines  of  railway,  crossing  and  tap- 
ping the  trunk  lines,  and  delivering  the  coal  and  coke  to 
vessels  at  Lake  Erie  ports,  whence  they  are  shipped  here. 
So  great  is  the  number  of  trunk  and  cross  lines,  and  so  con- 
flicting are  their  interests,  that  it  appears  incredible  there 
ever  may  come  a  time  when  a  combination  of  all  the  coal 
and  coke  carrying  railways  may  be  formed  which,  by  forcing 
freight  rates  up  on  these  articles,  may  imperil  the  interests  of 
the  producers  and  manufacturers  of  iron  of  this  place. 
Indeed  the  probability  is  that  the  demands  and  exactions  of 
railway  companies  in  the  East  will  yearly  be  more  closely 


202  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

inquired  into  and  restricted,  while  at  the  same  time,  the 
depth  of  the  channels  between  Lake  St.  Clair  and  Erie,  and 
between  the  latter  lake  and  Lake  Superior,  are  likely  to  be 
both  widened  and  deepened,  so  that  vessels  of  still  greater 
tonnage  than  those  now  on  the  great  inland  waters,  can 
come  down  from  Lake  Superior  and  up  from  Lake  Erie, 
Thus,  while  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  railway  rates  thither 
can  be  raised  and  most  probably  will,  from  time  to  time  be 
reduced,  it  is  a  certainty  that  on  account  of  the  improvements- 
in  the  channels  appertaining  to  the  navigation  of  the  lakes,, 
that  the  carrying  capacity  of  both  steam  and  sailing  vessels- 
will  be  enlarged,  and  the  rates  correspondingly  lowered. 

Another,  and  a  no  less  important  point  in  favor  of  this 
locality  as  the  iron  center  of  tfre  future,  is  its  unparalleled 
wharfage  front.  Nowhere  else  in  the  world,  perhaps,  has 
nature  been  so  prodigal  in  her  arrangements  of  water 
courses,  soils,  and  water  sheds.  Less  than  $2,000,000  has 
turned  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  from  their  natural  out- 
let to  an  entirely  different  route  by  way  of  the  Mississippi 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  So,  too,  on  account  of  the  nature  of 
the  soil  and  topographical  position,  the  arms  of  the  Chicago 
River  have  been  greatly  extended,  at  a  cost  which,  when  the 
value  of  the  wharfage  front,  thereby  secured,  is  taken  into 
consideration,  may  fairly  be  considered  trifling.  Practically, 
there  is  no  near  limit  to  the  extension  of  the  berth  room  for 
vessels  of  any  tonnage  or  size.  All  that  so  far  has  been 
found  necessary,  and  all  that  may  be  required  in  the  futureT 
to  enlarge  the  wharfage  front  of  Chicago  to  sixty  or  even 
one  hundred  miles,  has  been  and  will  be,  simply  the  appli- 
cation of  the  dredge  to  the  beds  of  the  existing  water  courses 
and  their  vicinity. 

Up  to  1836,  the  only  representatives  of  the  iron  trade  in 
Chicago  were  a  few  blacksmiths.  In  that  year,  however, 
the  working  in  iron  was  begun,  in  what  was  for  the  time 


IRON    AND    STEEL.  203 

and  the  size  of  the  place,  as  well  as  its  distance  from  ore 
beds,  quite  an  extensive  manner,  by  a  firm  known  as  King, 
Stowe  &  Co.  'These  gentlemen  constructed  a  foundry  and 
machine  shop  on  the  South  Branch,  near  what  is  now  Polk 
street.  The  works  covered  nearly  a  block,  and  cost  about 
$15,000.  At  first  only  a  few  hands  were  employed,  and  no 
specially  important  work  was  done  until  the  following  year, 
when  Mr.  William  Avery  came  here  from  the  East  to  fill  a 
contract  he  had  made  for  the  construction  of  an  engine. 
He  brought  with  him  quite  a  large  lot  of  machinery,  placed 
it  in  King,  Stowe  &  Co.'s  shops,  which  he  took  charge  of, 
and  turned  out  in  the  same  year  the  first  engine  made  in 
Chicago.  It  was  of  the  marine  type  of  that  day,  and  was 
known  as  the  Avery  rotary  engine.  It  was  of  about  350- 
horse-power,  low  pressure,  and  was  built  for  and  placed  in 
the  steamboat  James  Allen.  The  original  contract  for  the 
construction  of  this  engine  called  for  about  600-horse-power, 
but  owing  to  a  severe  depression  in  business  in  the  West  in 
1837,  the  size  of  the  vessel  and  the  power  of  the  machinery 
were  reduced  about  one-half.  Shortly  after  having  com- 
pleted the  engine,  Mr.  Avery  took  a  contract  on  the  Illinois 
Canal,  and  served  his  connection  with  Messrs.  King,  Stowe 
&  Co.  Later,  the  works  were  rented  by  Andrews  &  Co. 
Mr.  Andrews  of  this  firm  had  been  an  engineer  on  the 
lakes,  and  he  and  his  partner  began  the  manufacture  of 
piston  engines.  Andrews  &  Co.  continued  the  business  for' 
some  time,  and  then  disposed  of  their  interest  to  a  Mr. 
Moses.  This  gentleman  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  C.  S.  Engle. 
Among  the  difficulties  which  were  encountered  at  the  outset 
of  the  trade  here  was  the  scarcity  of  mechanics,  and  nearly 
all  of  those  employed  in  the  first  year  or  two  had  to  be 
brought  from  the  East,  and,  as  an  inducement  to  come  here, 
higher  wages  had  to  be  paid  than  those  ruling  elsewhere. 
The  pay  of  the  better  class  of  workmen  was  at  the  time,  in 


204  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

1837,  about  $3.00,  but  generally  110  more  than  $2.50  per 
day.  Most  of  them  were  from  England. 

The  second  foundry  and  machine  shop  was  started  by 
Mr.  Elihu  Granger,  in  1841,  on  Kinzie,  near  La  Salle  street. 
Mr.  Granger  invested  in  these  works  about  $5,000,  and  at 
first  employed  not  more  than  five  or  six  men.  At  this 
foundry  was  cast  the  first  gas  pipe  for  the  use  of  the  city. 

The  year  1843  witnessed  the  completion  of  two  more 
foundries  and  machine  shops.  One  of  these  was  owned  by 
Messrs.  H.  H.  Scoville  and  P.  W.  Gates,  and  the  other 
by  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Stowe,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  pio- 
neer firm  of  King,  Stowe  &  Co.  Messrs.  Scoville  &  Gates 
remained  in  the  trade  as  a  firm  until  1849,  when  Mr. 
Scoville  retired.  To  the  establishment  founded  by  these 
gentlemen,  Messrs.  Frazer  &  Chalmers  finally  succeeded, 
and  it  is  now  the  widely-known  Liberty  Iron  Works.  In 
1846  Messrs.  James  &  Hannahs  began  the  making  of 
machinery  and  castings  on  Clinton,  west  of  Jefferson  street. 

Two  years  later,  a  Mr.  Cobb  started  a  foundry  and 
machine  shop  on  Canal,  near  Kinzie  street.  Some  time 
after,  Mr.  Henry  Warrington  bought  Mr.  Cobb's  business, 
and  carried  it  on  at  the  same  location  for  a  time,  and  then 
removed  to  Clinton,  near  Carroll  street. 

About  1847,  the  firm  of  Scoville  &  Sons  was  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  iron  and  machinery.  The 
individual  members  of  this  firm  were  Mr.  H.  H.  Scoville, 
the  father,  and  Messrs.  W.  H.,  J.  A.  and  I.  Scoville.  In 
1855  they  constructed  the  first  locomotive.  For  those  days 
it  was  considered  quite  a  powerful  one,  having  been  of  about 
eighteen  tons  weight,  with  drive  wheels  five  and  a  half  feet 
in  diameter,  and  with  a  fifteen-inch  cylinder  and  twenty-two 
inch  stroke.  It  was  called  the  Enterprise,  and  was  for  the 
Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad.  The  same  firm  had 
been,  for  two  or  three  years  before  the  locomotive  was  com- 


IRON   AND    STEEL.  205 

pleted,  engaged  in  the  making  of  cars  and  car  wheels. 
During  the  last  mentioned  year  the  establishment  was 
turned  into  a  stock  company,  by  which  locomotive  building 
was  carried  on  until  1857  or  1858. 

The  progress  made  in  the  iron  trade  up  to  1850  was 
exceedingly  small,  the  necessities  of  the  population  in  all 
the  heavier  kinds  of  work  being  supplied  from  the  East.  In 
the  year  named,  hdwever,  there  were  in  Chicago  and  its 
immediate  vicinity  twenty-five  establishments  that,  strictly 
speaking,  were  foundries  or  machine  shops  in  operation. 
But  there  were  besides  quite  a  number  of  blacksmith  shops, 
and  shops  for  the  working  up  of  sheet  iron,  etc. 

The  pig  metal  was  obtained  from  the  East  at  first  and  was 
mainly  Scotch,  but  later,  considerable  quantities  were  received 
from  Mishauwauka,  Ind.,  and  from  one  or  two  points  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  It  was  not  till  as  late  as 
about  1860  that  any  pig  metal  made  of  Lake  Superior  ore 
was  received.  Inquiry  as  to  the  trade  previous  to  1855 
reveals  the  fact  that  the  early  workers  in  iron  here  had  to 
contend  with  the  most  serious  difficulties  in  the  conducting 
of  their  business.  The  sources  of  supply  of  pig,  boiler  and 
bar  iron  were  in  most  cases  far  distant,  and  the  means  of 
transportation  slow  in  the  summer  and  in  the  winter  very 
costly. 

The  making  of  the  finer  kinds  of  gas  and  other  pipe  on  a 
large  scale,  though  frequently  attempted,  was  not  completely 
successful  until  as  late  as  1867.  The  failures  that  had  taken 
place  in  this  line  were  occasioned  by  defective  heating 
apparatus  and  machinery,  but  at  present,  and  for  more  than 
ten  years  past,  the  manufactories  here  rank  with  the  best 
in  the  country. 

The  construction  of  locomotives  did  not  prove  very 
remunerative,  and  the  only  company  which  had  undertaken 
this  branch  of  the  trade  dissolved  previous  to  1860,  and  since 


206  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

locomotive  building  here  has  not  been  carried  on  excepting  by 
a  railway  company.  However  the  conditions  that  existed 
twenty  years  ago  in  this  locality,  and  those  of  to-day  are 
widely  different,  and  it  is  certain  that,  should  an  enterprise 
of  this  nature  be  entered  upon  now  or  at  any  time  in  the 
future,  success  would  be  certain. 

In  1850  the  cost  of  the  raw  material  used  by  iron  workers 
here  was  under  $900,000,  the  wages  paid  about  $340,000, 
and  the  gross  value  less  than  $1,200,000. 

During  the  succeeding  ten  years  the  increase  in  the 
number  of  establishments  was  not  very  important,  but  the 
number  of  hands  employed  was  considerably  greater,  while 
the  value  of  the  output  reached  $2,125,000,  or  about 
ninety  per  cent,  greater  than  in  1850.  The  wages  paid  in 
1860  were  more  than  double  the  amount  for  the  year  pre- 
viously named,  and  were  about  $690,000.  The  value  of 
the  raw  material  in  1860  was  under  $1,150,000. 

The  ten  years  ending  in  1870  showed  a  remarkable 
growth,  and  gave  at  the  same  time  some  indication  of  the 
still  more  remarkable  growth  to  come.  The  number  of 
establishments  increased  in  this  time  nearly  300  per  cent., 
and  nearly  all  other  figures  show  a  still  greater  increase. 
The  value  of  the  raw  material  reached  about  $4,000,000, 
the  wages  nearly  $2,750,000,  and  the  total  value  of  the  out- 
put, or  product,  about  $10,000,000,  or  an  increase  in  the 
later  item  of  nearly  500  per  cent. 

The  census  returns  for  1880,  show  that  in  that  year 
Chicago,  as  has  been  before  stated,  occupied  the  fifth  place 
in  the  quantity  of  iron  produced,  and  the  second  for  the 
production  of  steel.  Since  1880  there  has  been  a  still  larger 
production  of  iron  and  steel,  and  a  very  important  increase 
in  the  capacity  for  the  production  of  these  articles.  A  great 
many  of  the  machine  shops,  foundries,  rolling  mills,  wire 
works,  etc.,  have  also  been  greatly  enlarged,  and  many  new 


IRON    AND    STEEL.  207 

ones  have  been  started.  Altogether  there  has  been  a  greater 
increase  in  the  capacity  for  producing  and  manufacturing 
within  the  past  three  years  than  took  place  during  the  entire 
ten  years  preceding  1870. 

The  present  position  of  the  trade  is  perhaps  best  shown  by 
the  following  comparative  statement: 

1860.  1870.  1884. 

Number  of  establishments 53  150  400 

Number  of  hands  employed 1,285  5,322  18,500 

Capital  invested $1,106,000  $6,293,000  $18,000,000 

Raw  material  used.... 1,150,000  4,000,000  15,000,000 

Wages    paid 490,000  3,750,000  14,000,000 

Gross  value  of  product 2,125,000  10,000,000  50,000,000 

In  the  production  of  Bessemer  steel  the  manufacturers 
here  are  taking  the  lead  over  all  others  on  account  of  using 
the  most  improved  plant,  and  also  on  account  of  the  nature 
of  the  metal  obtained  from  Lake  Superior  ores  which  per- 
mits it  to  be  conveyed  direct  to  the  converters,  thus  saving 
the  expense  of  reheating.  The  increase  in  the  capacity  for 
the  production  of  steel  has  been  equal  to  more  than 
200,000  tons. 

The  enormous  increase  since  1870  in  the  number  of 
men  employed,  the  wages  paid,  the  capital  invested  and  the 
value  of  products  handled  is  not  so  much  owing  to 
an  increase  in  the  number  of  establishments  as  to  the  kind 
of  establishments.  Thus,  in  1870  there  were  no  blast  fur- 
naces here  in  operation  nor  were  there  any  producers  of 
steel  of  any  importance,  while  in  1880  the  quantity  of  pig 
metal  produced  by  these  establishments,  operating  in  the 
aggregate  but  ten  furnaces,  was  248,000  tons  or  nearly 
twice  as  much  as  was  produced  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey, 
and  more  than  two-thirds  the  quantity  that  was  yielded  by 
all  the  furnaces  of  New  York. 

As  has  already  been  said  it  is  the  manifest  destiny  of 


208  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

Chicago  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  grent  West  and  North- 
west with  all  articles  of  steel  and  of  iron,  and  that  in  follow- 
ing out  its  destiny  it  is  to  become  the  greatest  iron  market, 
as  it  is  already  the  greatest  grain,  lumber  and  provision 
market  the  world  has  ever  known. 


TOYS  AND    FANCY   GOODS. 


Five  years  ago  the  trade  in  this  line  was  monopolized  by 
the  great  toy  manufacturing  centers  of  the  East,  and  any 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Western  dealers  to  contest  for  the 
supremacy  with  such  long  established  and  powerful  firms 
was  regarded  as  in  the  nature  of  things  a  hopeless  and  neces- 
sarily hazardous  venture.  Chicago  enterprise,  however,  is 
not  the  kind  to  be  daunted  by  a  dismal  outlook.  "What 
others  are  doing  we  can  do,"  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  a 
business  axiom  in  this  city,  and  so  in  the  face  of  the  fiercest 
opposition  a  house  was  found  courageous  enough  to  embark 
in  this  branch  of  trade. 

In  this  spirit,  daring,  yet  conservative,  shrewd,  far-seeing 
and  sagacious,  ever  on  the  alert  for  opportunities,  yet  closely 
calculating  every  chance,  is  found  the  key  to  the  phenomenal 
success  of  Chicago  merchants.  There  is  no  headlong, 
blundering  rashness  in  their  business  methods ;  they  examine 
the  ground  carefully,  weigh  with  accuracy  all  the  possibili- 
ties of  failure,  and  either  dismiss  the  project  as  unprofitable, 
or  enter  upon  it  with  an  irresistible,  unflagging  energy 
which  allows  their  competitors  no  rest. 

So  it  was  in  the  case  under  consideration.  Our  dealers 
saw  that  the  Eastern  manufacturers  were  reaping  enormous 
profits  yearly,  and  forming  combinations  in  order  to  sustain 
their  unconscionable  prices.  They  were  also  aware  that  for 
obvious  reasons,  chief  among  which  was  the  cheapness  of 
labor  and  the  superior  skill  of  foreign  artisans,  the  Swiss, 
14  209 


210  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

the  French,  and  Oriental  peoples,  American  manufactures 
could  not  compete  with  those  of  the  old  world.  Nor  would 
the  tariff  prove  a  serious  obstacle,  since  articles  of  this  kind 
were  usually  of  little  intrinsic  value.  Last,  and  by  no  means 
the  least,  among  the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  importing 
their  goods,  was  the  superior  worth  and  attractiveness  of  such 
articles  in  the  eyes  of  the  retail  purchaser.  Given  two 
objects  equal  in  value,  elegance  or  usefulness;  one  of  home 
manuf  acture,  and  the  other  brought  over  thousands  of  miles 
of  sea,  wrought  into  quaint  shape  by  the  deft  fingers  of  moun- 
taineer peasants,  or  strange,  patient  Asiatic  peoples,  and 
there  is  a  charm  of  association  about  the  one  which  rarely 
fails  to  make  the  other  a  drug  upon  the  market.  This,  then, 
was  the  outlook  five  years  ago^more  desirable  goods  were 
excluded  from  the  market  by  the  greed  of  home  manufac- 
turers and  the  energy  of  Eastern  jobbers.  The  experiment 
was  worth  trying,  and  a  signal  and  demonstrated  success 
followed,  and  now  the  entire  West,  both  south  and  north, 
has  been  wrested  from  the  'old  firms. 

Importing  directly,  and  in  great  quantities,  from  the  old 
world,  Jewelry,  Stationery,  Albums,  Fancy  Articles  and 
Toys,  the  magnitude  of  the  business  will  be  appreciated 
when  it  is  known  that  in  1883  sales  to  the  amount  of  $3,000,- 
000  were  made  on  a  capital  of  $600, 000,  being  an  increase 
of  twenty-five  per  cent  over  the  previous  year.  The  outlook 
for  1884,  and  indeed  the  business  thus  far  done,  compared 
month  for  month  with  that  of  1883,  shows  a  still  more  nota- 
ble increase,  while  a  more  expensive  class  of  goods  is  every 
season  demanded  and  supplied.  Besides  six  houses  thus 
engaged  there  are  a  number  of  millinery  firms  which  have 
a  toy  and  fancy  goods  department. 

These,  however,  selling  exclusively  to  smaller  millinery 
houses,  do  not  compete^  seriously  with  the  legitimate  jobbing 
trade. 


TOYS  AND  FANCY  GOODS.  211 

In  the  figures  given  n^ove  the  sales  but  not  the  capital 
of  the  millinery  establishments  are  included. 
The  leading  Toy  and  Fancy  Goods  firms  are: 
John  D.  Zernitz  Co. 
Schweitzer  &  Beer. 
Vergho,  Ruhling  &  Co. 
Lehmann  &  Kinsman. 


CROCKERY    AND    GLASSWARE. 


Chicago  has  no  manufactories  in  this  line,  trade  being 
confined  to  jobbers,  of  whom  there  are  six  large  firms 
importing  in  immense  quantities,  while  looking  to  the  East 
for  domestic  goods. 

In  the  absence  of  manufacturers,  however,  Chicago  is 
but  on  a  par  with  the  other  leading  cities  of  the  country 
with  whom  she  takes  equal  rank,  and  competes  successfully 
in  every  market  of  the  West  and  Northwest,  if  we  except 
the  inconsiderable  trade  with  points  beyond  Utah,  in  which 
railway  discrimination  favors  Boston. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  state  that,  as  this  business 
deals  in  part  with  the  luxuries  of  life,  it  is  most  sensitive  to 
failure  of  crops  or  eras  of  financial  stringency,  inducing  an 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  people  to  economize  and  cut  down 
expenses,  As  a  consequence,  when  last  year  the  general 
business  of  the  country  suffered  a  serious  decline,  the  sales 
of  Chicago  dealers  in  this  branch  fell  off '  as  much  as  ten  per 
cent,  showing  transactions  aggregating  $2,700,000,  against 
$3,000,000  of  the  year  before. 

This  depression  was  only  temporary,  in  fact  for  some 
months  business  has  shown  a  noteworthy  advance,  and  the 
outlook  brightens  every  day.  Indeed  it  is  now  almost  beyond 
question  that  this  year  will  close  with  an  exhibit  of  twenty 
per  cent  increase  in  sales  over  1883,  more  than  regaining  all 
the  ground  lost. 

212 


CROCKERY  AND  GLASSWARE.  213 

When  we  consider  that  this  class  of  goods  must  be 
shipped  in  packages  of  such  great  bulk  and  weight  as  to 
render  the  charges  of  transportation  a  most  important  item, 
the  advantages  accruing  to  Chicago  dealers  from  their  loca- 
tion on  the  only  great  water  way  between  the  East  and  West, 
can  scarely  fail  to  be  appreciated.  This  alone  would  allow 
them  a  margin  of  profit  on  prices  which  dealers  in  competing 
cities  could  not  afford. 

In  addition  we  may  mention  the  wonderful  improvement 
in  the  glassware  of  American  manufacture,  as  also  in  majol- 
ica and  other  wares,  which  in  design  and  finish  have  been 
pronounced  superior  to  the  standard  foreign  products.  Rec- 
ognizing this,  Chicago  dealers  unhesitatingly  demanded 
from  foreign  manufacturers  such  a  reduction  in  prices  that 
they  can  now  offer  the  retail  trade  imported  articles  as 
cheaply  as  home-made  wares  of  equal  intrinsic  value,  save 
perhaps  a  trifling  advance  to  cover  the  cost  of  further  trans- 
portation. 

Burley  &  Tyrrell. 

Walker  &  Stern. 

French,  Potter  &  Wilson. 

Hall,  Bersback  &  Co. 

Pitkin  &  Brooks.  * 


CARRIAGES. 

MANUFACTUBING    AND    JOBBING. 

There  are  many  reasons  to  believe  that  Chicago,  already 
the  largest  market  in  the  country  for  the  sale  of  Carriages, 
is  destined  in  the  near  future  to  become  the  greatest  manu- 
facturing centre ;  in  the  meantime  the  causes  operating  to 
bring  about  this  result  have  glaced  the  city  far  in  the  front 
as  the  most  desirable  point  for  the  purchase  of  certain  lines 
of  goods.  Chief  among  the  advantages  essential  to  cheap 
production  is  the  proximity  to  raw  material,  and  it  will  be 
seen  that  Chicago,  with  the  ample  forests  of  Michigan  and 
Indiana  just  at  hand,  with  special  facilities  for  obtaining 
needed  supplies  of  leather,  possessing  enormous  advantages 
in  the  manufacture  of  springs  and  iron  work,  combining  in 
her  suburban  factory  sites  minimum  water  rates,  rents  and 
taxes,  with  the  cheap  skilled  labor  which  always  seeks  a 
great  city,  can  manufacture  and  market  goods  with  profit  at 
prices  which  would  drive  competing  cities  out  of  the  busi- 
ness. 

It  is,  however,  as  a  center  for  distribution  that  Chicago's 
geographical  position,  water  and  rail  facilities,  place  her 
conspicuously  in  the  lead.  Indeed,  to  a  shipping  point  of 
bulky  products,  it  is  difficult  to  overestimate  the  benefit  of  a 
hundred  rival  railways,  which  are  reduced  to  a  state  of 
chronic  competition,  by  the  almost  utter  impossibility  of 
pooling  so  as  to  reconcile  so  many  conflicting  interests,  and 
the  persistent  rivalry  of  the  various  steamship  lines. 

The  trade  is  at  present  divided  among — 

214 


CARRIAGES.  215 

FIRST — The  wholesale  manufacturers,  who  ship  their 
products  by  the  car  load. 

SECOND — Manufacturers  of  a  superior  class  of  goods  for 
the  home  market,  who,  however,  ship  in  any  desired  quantity 
to  individuals  as  well  as  retail  dealers. 

THIRD — The  firms  which  make  a  specialty  of  vehicles 
for  use  on  the  track,  sulkys  and  light  road  and  driving 
wagons. 

FOURTH — The  firms,  about  eighty  in  number,  who 
though  continually  turning  out  a  limited  amount  of  first- 
class  goods,  devote  most  of  their  time  to  repairing  and  fill- 
ing special  orders. 

The  total  amount  of  capital  thus  engaged  is  placed  by 
the  most  reliable  estimates  at  $1,000,000.  The  total  pro- 
duction is  not  far  from  $2,400,000,  necessitating  the  employ- 
ment of  3,000  workmen,  and  an  annual  expenditure  of 
$1,350,000  in  wages. 

It  is  of  course  apparent  on  the  most  cursory  comparison 
of  the  amount  of  goods  thus  manufactured  with  the  prod- 
ucts which  here  find  market  that  the  trade  is  still  to  a  great 
extent  controlled  by  Eastern  firms  with  branch  establish- 
ments here,  and  by  manufacturers  who  consign  to  agents  in 
this  city  the  entire  products  destined  for  the  West  and 
North.  In  fact  every  establishment  in  the  United  States 
of  any  importance  has  its  Chicago  agency,  while  with  some 
it  is  the  virtual  headquarters  and  sole  distributing  point. 

We  have  spoken  in  a  general  way  of  the  class  of  goods 
handled  by  our  jobbers,  yet  a  word  still  remains  in  reference 
to  their  bewildering  and  almost  endless  variety,  as  well  as 
the  surpassing  elegance  of  finish  and  workmanship  exhib- 
ited in  the  more  expensive  products.  There  is  also  a  notice- 
able diversity  in  the  style  and  design  of  carriages,  most  of 
the  many  varieties  of  which  are  ingenious  in  mechanism  and 
possess  some  striking  claim  to  public  favor. 


210  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

Indeed  all  of  the  leading  firms  have  discovered  the  folly 
of  marketing  anything  but  creditable  work.  It  is  a  mistaken 
policy,  sure  in  the  long  run  to  prove  disastrous.  The  rivalry 
between  the  dealers  is  of  another  kind,  and  is  to  see  who 
can  offer  the  choicest  material  and  the  most  reliable  work- 
manship at  the  smallest  margin  of  profit.  As  a  result  of 
this  honest  emulation  the  difference  between  carriages  of 
the  first  and  second  classes  is  little  else  than  a  difference  in 
price  and  artistic  finish,  both  are  equally  serviceable,  and  for 
that  matter,  equally  valuable  from  a  utilitarian  point  of 
view. 

The  outlook  of  business  in  this  line  was  never  better 
the  wholesale  trade  is  largely  on  the  increase,  and  the  smaller 
firms  are  fast  quitting  the  field.  To  their  retirement  and 
the  steadily  increasing  wealth  of  towns  and  rural  districts  is 
due  the  ever  growing  demand  for  a  superior  class  of  goods, 
which  has  been  a  notable  feature  of  the  trade  during  the 
past  few  years. 

The  prominent  manufacturers  and  those  represented 
here,  are: 

Abbott  Buggy  &  Co. 

C.  P.  Kimball  &  Co. 

Cortland  Wagon  Co. ;  Edwin  B.  Palmer,  Manager. 

Studebaker  Bros.  Manufacturing  Co. 

James  Cunningham,  Son  &  Co. ;  J.  W.  Phillips,  Mana- 
ger. 


VARNISH. 

AVhen  the  wondering  attention  of  the  first  traveler  was 
directed  to  a  smooth,  rounded,  translucent,  yellowish  mass, 
now  known  as  the  Gum  Copal  of  commerce,  the  quantities 
in  which  it  was  found  may  have  led  him  to  speculate  on  its 
possible  utility,  but  it  is  entirely  improbable  that  he  ever 
entertained  the  remotest  conjecture  as  to  its  value  in  the 
arts,  or  the  immense  traffic  to  which  it  was  eventually  des- 
tined to  give  rise.  Indeed,  when  we  come  to  consider  how 
large  a  part  varnish  plays  in  the  affairs  of  life  there  is  still 
room  for  surprise  even  to  the  best  informed.  Where  I  sit 
writing,  this,  the  desk  on  which  I  lean,  the  chair  in  which  I 
sit,  and  indeed  the  most  of  the  furniture  which  meets  the 
eye,  owes  its  lustrous  beauty  to  a  cloudy  mass  of  gum  which 
years  ago  exuded  from  giant  trees  in  the  heart  of  Mada- 
gascar. The  luxurious  carriages  which  roll  so  noiselessly 
along  our  streets  bearing  perhaps  the  representatives  of 
millions,  the  magnificent  pianos  of  modern  manufacture, 
from  whose  mirrowed  surfaces  the  face  of  the  beholder  is 
thrown  back  as  from  the  depths  of  a  lonely  well,  owe  their 
exquisite  perfection  of  gloss  to  the  same  pale,  tasteless 
Copal  gum.  Nor  have  we  as  yet  half  exhausted  our  subject. 
Varnish  certainly,  like  charity,  covers  a  multitude  of  short- 
comings ;  the  crudeness  of  workmanship  or  the  worthlessness 
of  materials  may  be  thus  concealed  from  the  most  curious 
eyes;  it  has  power  to  clothe  the  most  dilapitated  articles  of 
furniture  in.  a  suit  of  glossy  newness ;  it  develops  the  fading 

217 


218  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

colors  of  time-darkened  paintings ;  and  what  is  that  cosmo- 
politan finish  acquired  by  travel,  that  well-bred  familiarity 
with  the  conventionalities  of  modern  society,  or  that 
specious,  flattering  courtesy  which  often  cloaks  a  malevo- 
lent heart,  what  else  is  it  but  a  varnish  of  a  different  kind  ? 

This  brittle,  odorless,  colorless,  fosible,  inflammable  gum 
was  first  found,  in  all  probability,  in  the  forests  of  tropical 
Mexico ;  indeed,  Copal  is  said  to  be  the  Mexican  name  for  all 
gums  or  resins.  Most  of  the  Copal  of  commerce,  however, 
is  now  brought  from  Madagascar,  Africa,  Brazil  and  India, 
in  all  of  which  countries  the  supply  is  as  yet  unexhausted. 
This  is  the  basis  of  all  varnishes,  and,  as  such,  is  in  ever 
increasing  demand  among  civilized  nations. 

There  in  this  city  of  Chicago  no  firms  who  deal  in  the 
gum,  most  of  our  varnish  makers  either  importing  direct  or 
looking  to  New  York  for  all  supplies ;  we  have,  however,  no 
less  than  seven  concerns  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  Var- 
nish, whose  aggregate  capital  amounts  to  $500,000,  and 
whose  output  in  1883  was  $750,000,  while  during  the 
year  just  past  the  product  had  increased  to  $825,000. 
The  number  of  hands  engaged  in  these  establishments  is 
comparatively  small,  owing,  of  course,  to  the  disproportion 
between  the  cost  and  bulk  of  varnish;  the  labor,  however,  is 
all  high  priced  and  skilled.  The  field  supplied  by  our  manu- 
factures has  of  late  years  been  largely  extended,  and  now 
reaches  east  to  Baltimore,  south  to  Memphis,  and  embraces 
all  the  vast  Northwest  and  West,  a  most  remarkable  gain, 
when  we  remember  that  all  this  territory  was  once  controlled 
exclusively  by  Eastern  seaport  cities. 

For  this,  which  under  the  circumstances  can  be  regarded 
as  nothing  else  than  a  surprising  commercial  development, 
there  is  but  one  possible  explanation,  and  that  is  that  the 
varnishes  of  Chicago  manufacture  come  as  near  as  those  of 
any  other  American  houses  to  equaling  the  famous  English 


VARNISH.  219 

coach  varnishes  long  considered  the  goal  of  effort  in  this 
direction,  and  that  Chicago  enterprise  and  happy  geograph- 
ical location  has  effected  the  rest. 

THE    DE    GOLYER    BROS. 

Varnish  manufacturing  concern  of  this  city,  dates  its  estab- 
lishment in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1840.  Twenty-two 
years  later,  in  1862,  they  started  a  factory  in  this  city,  being 
the  first  house  to  appreciate  the  advantages  of  this  location 
and  growing  possibilities  of  the  Western  trade. 

They  brought  to  their  new  location  indomitable  energy, 
skilled  labor,  and  the  ample  capital  required  for  so  import- 
ant and  apparently  hazardous  undertaking.  Their  immediate 
success  soon  brought  a  rival  into  the  field,  a  short-lived 
competitor  as  it  proved,  for  it  was  soon  incorporated  with 
the  older  institution,  and  their  joint  product  during  the  year 
following  amounted  to  $100,000. 

Other  manufactories  were  also  established,  and  the  year 
before  the  fire  $250,000  worth  of  varnish  was  placed  upon 
the  market.  The  great  conflagration  however,  engulfed 
them  all;  but  the  old  firm  weathered  the  storm,  and  came  to 
the  front  again  with  vastly  enlarged  facilities  adequate 
to  the  demands  of  the  era  of  unparalleled  progress  which  was 
then  to  be  inaugurated.  Their  plant  is  among  the  foremost 
in  the  country,  and  it  is  scarcely  too  much  to  say  that  their 
products  are  unsurpassed  in  the  world. 

This  is  particularly  the  case  with  their  agricultural 
varnishes,  which  have  proven  of  such  uniform  excellence,  so 
reliable  and  durable,  that  the  firm  has  not  only  held  its  own 
from  the  first,  but  has  steadily  gained  ground,  wresting  new 
territory  from  its  older  competitors,  until  they  now  number 
among  their  customers  the  leading  manufacturers  of  wagons 
and  agricultural  implements  in  the  United  States. 

Their  coach,   carriage  and  railway  varnishes  are  in  use 


220  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

by  the  leading  manufacturers  of  railway  carriages,  and 
vehicles  generally  throughout  the  country  in  a  service 
requiring  a  varnish  of  particular  durability,  as  well  as  one 
that  works  easily,  and  are  of  many  grades,  for  which  they 
put  forward  a  claim  for  superiority  not  as  yet  successfully 
disputed. 

The  last,  and  not  the  least  important  branch  of  this 
industry,  is  their  manufacture  of  furniture  varnishes,  like- 
wise of  various  grades  of  excellence  suited  to  the  different 
surfaces  for  .which  they  are  designed,  piano-fortes,  bedroom 
sets,  billiard  tables,  cabinet  chairs  and  iron  work.  Of  these 
their  Imperial  Hard  Finish  has  come  now  into  such  general 
use  as  to  abundantly  demonstrate  its  unequaled  excellence, 
being  WARRANTED  free  from  the  most  frequent  and  indeed 
almost  universal  objection  to  other  makes:  that  is,  to  lump 
and  settle  upon  exposure  to  the  atmosphere. 


ICE  MACHINES. 


The  supply  of  ice  to  our  large  cities  is  of  as  much 
importance  as  water,  and  the  total  number  of  tons  annually 
consumed  aggregates  such  an  enormous  amount,  and  is 
handled  by  so  many  persons  and  in  such  varied  ways,  as  to 
a  great  extent  to  baffle  any  statistician  who  should  endeavor 
to  propose  an  accurate  amount  of  the  quantity  annually 
stored  and  distributed  for  its  numerous  purposes. 

As  ice  is  one  of  nature's  own  products,  which  may  be 
had  for  the  getting,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  cost  to  the  con- 
sumer depends  upon  the  amount  expended  in  storing  and 
transporting  it,  in  which  operation,  owing  to  its  perishable 
quality,  a  large  proportion  of  loss  accrues,  which  neces- 
sarily enhances  the  value  of  the  remainder. 

To  manufacture  ice  as  wanted,  and  in  the  neighborhood 
requiring  its  consumption,  therefore,  does  away  with  the  two 
features  of  expense,  bringing  to  our  consideration  a  new 
one — the  cost  of  its  artificial  production. 

The  Linde  Ice  Machine,  the  invention  of  Professor  C. 
P.  G.  Linde,  has  been  in  active  operation  in  this  country — 
in  Europe,  and  in  India,  during  the  past  eight  years,  and 
has  proved  seemingly  successful,  not  only  taking  the  place 
of  the  primitive  machine  heretofore  used,  but  also  entirely 
superseding  the  natural  product. 

The  refrigerative  effect  in  the  Linde  machine  is  produced 
by  the  compression  and  expansion  of  anhydrous  ammonia 
within  heavy  iron  coils,  made  of  continuous  pipe,  and  tested 

221 


222  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

under  500  pounds  pressure,  excluding  the  possibility  of  a 
leakage.  These  coils  are  placed  in  iron  tanks  and  submerged 
in  water,  and  here  the  liqueforation  and  evaporation  of  the 
ammonia  takes  place,  the  latter  never  coming  in  direct 
contact  with  the  substance  to  be  cooled.  The  refrigerating 
tank  in  which  the  liquid  ammonia  coming  from  the  condens- 
ing tank  is  evaporated,  is  filled  with  water,  brine,  or  such 
other  cooling  agent  as  may  be  employed,  and  this  liquid, 
after  having  been  cooled  to  as  low  a  temperature  as  may  be 
desired  through  the  evaporation  of  ammonia,  is  then  by 
means  of  a  pump  conducted  to  the  room  or  substances  where 
the  cold  is  to  be  distributed. 

The  ammonic  vapors  after  having  performed  their  cool- 
ing duty,  are  drawn  through  a  pump,  and  by  the  same 
compressed  back  into  the  condensing  tank  where  they 
become  liquefied  through  the  influence  of  the  pressure,  and 
surrounding  cooling  water  and  returned  to  the  refrigerator, 
where  the  liquid  released  from  the  pressure  is  again  ready 
to  be  subjected  to  the  process  of  evaporation.  The  advanta- 
ges of  this  machine  are  numerous,  it  requiring  but  a  small 
outlay  of  power  to  run  it.  It  is  easily  operated,  being 
simple  in  construction,  and  the  consumption  or  loss  of 
ammonia  insignificant,  while  it  can  be  profitably  employed  in 
the  production  of  ice  for  all  purposes,  as  well  as  for  main- 
taining a  steady  low  temperature  of  air  fluids  and  solids. 
They  are  now  employed  in  breweries,  dairies,  butter  fac- 
tories, chemical  works,  distilleries,  skating  rinks,  meat 
markets,  ocean  vessels,  wine  cellars,  sugar  factories,  and 
other  industries  requiring  ice  in  large  quantities  or  a  low 
temperature  of  air,  and  clearly  demonstrates  the  fact  that 
this  end  can  be  attained  by  a  smaller  outlay  and  less  contin- 
uous expense  than  that  at  which  natural  ice  can  be  furnished 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances.  They  are  built  in 
sizes  to  produce  from  one  to  one  hundred  tons  of  ice  per 
day. 


ICE    MACHINES,  223 

The  ever  increasing  demand  for  ice  machines  and  the 
great  popularity  of  that  invented  by  Professor  Linde,  has 
induced  us  to  give  a  full  and  lengthy  description  of  this 
machine,  which  is  fully  merited  by  the  value  of  the  invention. 

Mr.  Fred  W.  Wolf,  62  to  66  West  Lake  street,  Chicago, 
is  the  manufacturer  and  sole  owner  of  these  patents  for  the 
United  States. 


MILL    FURNISHINGS. 


For  a  number  of  years  Chicago  has  taken  a  leading  part 
in  the  mill  furnishing  trade,  and  the  miller  can  get  his 
entire  mill  fitted  up  from  Chicago  without  going  elsewhere. 
This  extends  even  to  the  silk  bolting  cloth  which  he  uses  for 
covering  his  reels.  Up  to  a  short  time  ago  the  prominent 
manufacturers  of  this  class  of  goods,  which  are  made  in  the 
mountains  of  Switzerland  exclusively,  have  had  agencies  in 
New  York,  and  the  trade  has  been  supplied  from  there ;  but 
the  western  country  has  of  late  been  opening  up  so  fast,  that 
one  Swiss  firm  in  this  line  has  considered  it  prudent  to  trans- 
fer their  New  "York  branch  to  the  western  metropolis;  this 
being  more  central  for  their  trade  all  over  the  States. 

Few  people  outside  those  interested  in  milling,  have  any 
idea  what  bolting  cloth  really  is.  This  article  is  used  for 
sifting  flour  from  the  coarsest  to  the  finest,  and  it  is  there- 
fore essential  that  all  the  meshes  in  the  sieve  have  to  be  the 
same  size.  In  the  finest  numbers  there  are  upwards  of 
32,400  meshes  to  the  square  inch,  and  when  one  considers 
that  the  cloth  is  woven  by  hand,  it  is  marvelous  how  such  a 
result  can  be  obtained  with  anything  like  accuracy. 

The  firm  of  Eeiff  Huber,  of  Zurich,  Switzerland,  is  the 
one  above  referred  to.  They  have  extensive  stock-rooms  at 
64  South  Clinton  street,  and  they  express  their  willingness 
to  show  their  goods  to  any  vipitor  to  Chicago,  who  may  take 
an  interest  in  this  special  class  of  goods. 

224 


STOVES. 

Those  who  are  conversant  with  the  stove  trade  assert 
that  the  United  States  makes  and  uses  more  stoves  than  any 
other  country  in  the  world.     Statistics  kept  by  the  trade 
also  show  that  Chicago  disposes  of  more  stoves  than  any 
other  city  in  the  country.     Hence,  it  may  justly  claim  that 
it  is  the  largest  stove  market  in  the  world,  yet  while  it  leads 
in  the  sale  of  such  goods,  it  has  as  yet  not  made  rapid  pro- 
gress   in   their    product    as    compared    with    the    volume 
handled.     Only   a  moderate    percentage   of   those    sold    in 
Chicago  are  made  here.     But  it  is  gratifying  to  know  the 
stove  foundries  are  annually  enlarging  their  capacity  and 
volume  of  goods  turned  out,  and  this  branch  of  manufactur- 
ing promises  ere  long  to  become  a  leading  feature  of  the 
ci.y's  industrial  interests.     The  facilities  possessed  for  con- 
centrating the  iron  and  fuel,  wlrch  are  the  leading  factors 
in  stove  foundries,  at  the  most  reasonable  cost,   gives  its 
stove  makers  superior  opportunities  in  the  way  of  making 
cheap   goods.     Being  the  leading  jobbing  market  in  the 
United    States,    the    goods    can    be    shipped   direct   from 
the  foundry  to  the  dealers  in  every  part  of  the  country, 
thereby  saving  the  freight  which  competing  establishments 
are   compelled  to  pay  when  sending  their  goods  here   for 
sale.      Inquiry    among    the    leading    manufacturers    here 
regarding  the  materials  used  in  stove-making,  develops  the 
fact  that  the  use  of  Scotch  pig  iron,  which  a  few  years  since 
was  regarded  as  absolutely  requisite  in   the  production  of 
15  225 


226  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

a  strong,  smooth  casting,  and  which,  from  its  high  price, 
naturally  enhanced  the  cost  of  the  goods,  has  been  entirely 
superseded  by  mixing  different  grades  of  American  pig, 
which  are  found  to  make  a  plate  of  greater  strength  and 
smoothness  than  foundrymen  were  able  to  turn  out  when  the 
foreign  pig  was  used.  Many  also  assert  that  the  American 
castings,  those  made  ffom  American  iron,  expand  more 
gradually  under  the  influence  of  heat,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
are  less  likely  to  warp  or  crack  while  hot.  Although  the 
trade,  like  nearly  all  other  leading  lines  of  business,  has  had 
many  adverse  conditions  with  which  to  contend,  there  has  been 
a  considerable  increase  in  the  quality  of  goods  turned  out  by 
the  various  stove  works  located  here.  There  has  also  been 
many  improvements  in  patterns  calculated  to  increase  their 
popularity  with  those  who  see  them.  The  square  heating 
stoves  introduced  last  year  have  undergone  numerous  alter- 
ations that  have  largely  added  to  their  beauty  and  service- 
ableness.  Some  entirely  new  and  novel  styles  have  been 
introduced  that  are  far  more  handsome  than  any  heretofore 
brought  out.  And  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  Chicago  dealers 
will  not  fall  behind  in  the  introduction  of  any  features  that 
are  attractive  and  valuable. 

The  prominent  stove  manufacturers  and  dealers  in 
Chicago  are: 

Chicago  Stove  Works. 

Collins  &  Burgie. 

Cribben,  Sexton  &  Co. 

Michigan  Stove  Co. 

Rathbone,  Sard  &  Co. 

Richardson  &  Boynton  Co. 


THE    TELEPHONE. 


The  discovery  of  the  possibility  of  conveying  articulate 
sounds  by  electricity,  and  its  subsequent  elaboration  into  the 
inventions  which  are  now  included  under  the  general  head 
of  telephony,  is  undeniably  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
achievements  of  any  age.  Though  it  is  now  but  a  few  years 
since  the  first  faint  whisper  over  a  wire  was  noised  around  the 
world  and  opened  an  exhaustless  field  for  scientific  investi- 
gation, more  practical  advance  has  been  made  in  the  methods 
and  mechanism  employed  in  transmitting  the  voice  over 
long  circuits  than  in  any  other  branch  of  electrical  dis- 
covery. 

The  partial  success  of  the  earliest  instruments,  turned 
to  this  channel  the  efforts  of  hundreds  of  workers,  including 
some  of  the  most  skilled  inventors  and  noted  electricians  of 
the  world ;  and  in  consequence  every  month  brought  some 
new  discovery,  and  every  year  beheld  the  introduction  of  a 
more  simple  and  perfect  instrument. 

Finally  1883  witnessed  the  organization  of  the  Overland 
Telephone  Company,  incorporated  to  operate  the  telephone 
transmitters  and  receivers  patented  by  Dr.  Myron  C.  Baxter. 
The  formation  of  this  company,  however,  was  preceded  by 
a  series  of  the  most  careful  and  exhaustive  tests,  which  dem- 
onstrated the  unquestionable  superiority  of  the  Baxter  sys- 
tem, and  surprised  the  electricians  of  the  country  by  the 
ease  with  which  the  human  voice  could  be  carried  over  a  cir- 
cuit of  eight  hundred  miles  in  length. 

227 


228  CHICAGO    COMMEliCE. 

These  experiments  were  so  convincing  that,  in  accordance 
with  the  report  of  the  disinterested  experts  who  made  them, 
the  company  advance  the  following  irrefutable  claims  in 
regard  to  the  excellence  of  their  telephone: 

FIRST — It  is  the  simplest  in  construction,  requiring  less 
repairing. 

SECOND — It  accommodates  itself  to  the  volrfmes  of  sound 
transmitting  with  equal  audibility  a  whisper  or  the  loudest 
tones. 

THIRD — By  this  device  a  continuous  current  of  electricity 
is  converted  into  a  make  and  brake  current  by  the  voice  on 
the  diaphragm. 

FOURTH — Induction  is  overcome  by  using  a  larger 
number  of  cells  than  has  Heretofore  been  considered  pos- 
sible. 

FIFTH — It  is  the  omy  system  in  which  the  addition  of 
each  cell  increases  the  distance  over  which  the  voice  can  be 
transmitted. 

SIXTH — It  is  the  only  Telephone  with  which  an  under- 
ground wire  can  be  successfully  used,  the  ticking  of  a  watch 
having  been  conveyed  over  ninety  miles  of  the  Brooks  Under- 
ground Cable  in  Philadelphia,  joined  to  a  mile  of  aerial  wire 
without  a  metallic  circuit. 

This  company,  having  in  successful  operation  a  large 
number  of  Overland  Exchanges  in  many  of  the  leading  East- 
ern cities,  Philadelphia,  Pa. ;  Utica,  Auburn,  Syracuse  and 
Rochester,  Y.  Y. ;  Cincinnati,  O. ;  Lexington  and  Louisville, 
Ky. ;  Detroit,  Omaha,  etc.,  the  Northwestern  Overland  Tele- 
phone and  Telegraph  Company  of  this  city,  acquired  by 
purchase  the  exclusive  right  to  use  all  of  their  present  and 
prospective  inventions  in  the  States  of  Illinois,  Iowa,  Minne- 
sota, Wisconsin  and  the  Territory  of  Dakota,  the  parent 
company,  from  whom  these  rights  are  derived,  contracting 
to  assume  all  suits  and  protect  all  patrons  against  any  . 


TELEPHONE.  229 

litigation  which  may  arise.  The  Northwestern  Company  is, 
therefore,  prepared  to  grant  licenses  for  counties,  cities, 
towns  and  villages,  or  negotiate  any  unsold  portion  of  the 
territory  under  their  control.  In  addition  to  their  Telephone 
is  their  District  Service  and  Fire  and  Burglar  Alarm,  a  system 
of  public  service  which  practical  experts  have  pronounced 
superior  to  any  other  now  in  use.  The  company  has  now  in 
partial  operation,  and  in  course  of  construction,  a  Telephone 
Exchange  in  this  city,  in  which  forty  different  classes  of 
business  are  already  largely  represented.  Indeed,  test  lines 
have  been  laid,  and  instruments  are  now  in  operation  at  the 
Board  of  Trade,  Lumberman's  Exchange,  Commercial  Ex- 
change, Drug,  Paint  and  Oil  Exchange,  Hardware  Exchange, 
Real  Estate  Exchange,  Builders'  Exchange,  Stock  Exchange, 
and  the  Chicago  Board  of  Underwriters,  to  all  of  which  they 
invite  the  inspection  of  interested  parties.  That  the  com- 
pany is  financially  strong  and  under  the  management  of 
able  men  will  be  seen  by  its  corps  of  officers,  which  includes, 
Walter  L.  Peck,  President;  Byron  P.  Moulton,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; John  M.  Gartside  Secretary,  and  Charles  M.  Hender- 
son, Treasurer. 

Their  city  office  is  in  the  Borden  Block,  under  the  man- 
agement of  Mr.  William  S.  Morse. 


RAILROAD     TRANSPORTATION . 


Other  cities  have  unexceptional  railroad  connections  with 
points  upon  every  hand  far  and  near,  but  no  city  is  so  com- 
pletely environed  by  iron  rails  as  Chicago.  Her  geograph- 
ical center  in  the  Union,  and  that  center  being  located  in  the 
very  midst  of  the  most  fertile  land  on  the  North  American 
continent,  has  created  her  pre-eminence  in  this  respect.  In 
consequence  of  this  peculiarly  favorable  position  and  the 
extraordinary  business  capacity  and  energy  of  her  mer- 
chants, manufacturers  and  citizens  generally,  attracted  the 
attention  of  railroad  capitalists,  who,  with  that  prompt 
activity  for  which  American  railroad  men  are  justly  cele- 
brated, at  once  took  advantage  of  the  golden  opportunity 
and  enriched  themselves,  by  developing  the  Garden  City  as 
the -chief  railroad  center  of  the  country;  and  in  thus  giving 
her  facilities  for  transportation  incomparably  superior  to 
those  enjoyed  by  any  sister  city  in  the  Union. 

During  the  last  few  years  the  increase  of  railroad  facili- 
ties in  Chicago  has  been  most  remarkable,  and  it  would, 
doubtless,  have  been  much  larger  by  this  time  had  it  not 
been  for  a  check  that  has  been  imposed  upon  all  such  enter- 
prises throughout  the  country  by  mistaken  efforts  of,  doubt- 
less, well  meaning  men,  who  have  sought,  and  are  yet  seek- 
ing, to  impose  legislative  restraints  on  the  natural  and  whole- 
some growth  which  such  enterprises  are  bound  to  maintain, 
if  left  to  themselves  and  the  trained  judgment  of  their 
managers.  The  latter  ought  to  be  credited  with  sufficient 

230 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION.  231 

sense  to  understand  their  own  interests,  even  if  they  be 
suspected  of  an  unpatriotic  desire  to  waste  their  own  and 
their  constituents'  property  in  the  attempt  to  oppress  and 
wrong  their  best  customers.  And  the  worst  feature  of  the 
whole  matter  is  that  almost  every  year  seems  to  bring  about 
some  new  and  equally  unreasonable  hostility.  One  ostensi- 
ble object  of  this  class  of  legislation  was  to  compel  the 
railroads  to  adopt  a  uniform  system  of  maximum  passenger 
and  freight  fares,  but  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  there  are 
a  dozen  railroad  companies  now  in  the  country  that  do  not 
constantly,  and  in  obedience  to  the  immutable  but  unwritten 
laws  of  trade,  ship  both  freight  and  passengers  at  lower 
than  the  rates  demanded  by  State  legislation,  and  which  will 
not  continue,  as  their  economical  conditions  improve  and 
their  business  increases,  to  make  still  further  reductions. 
It  is  their  interest  to  do  this,  for  in  doing  it  they  increase 
their  revenues  and  the  interest-paying  potency  of  their  capi- 
tal stocks. 

Another  great  point  which  the  legislation  spoken  of  was 
said  to  have  been  intended  to  bring  about  was  the  improve- 
ment of  the  road-beds ;  increased  safety  in  the  building  of 
culverts  and  bridges ;  the  use  of  better  and  stauncher  rails, 
timber  and  trusses,  and  all  sorts  of  material  improvements 
of  the  kind.  It  does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  the  peo- 
ple and  legislators  of  the  period  that  all  these  matters  bore 
the  most  intimate  relation  to  financial  capacity,  and  that  no 
amount  of  legislation  could  compel  a  railroad  company  to 
reconstruct  its  road  if  it  had  not  the  cash  at  command  to 
do  it  with;  nor  that  any  company  that  had  the  cash  and 
failed  to  use  it  in  putting  its  property  into  the  very  best 
possible  condition,  would  exhibit  that  species  of  lunacy 
which  is  charged  against  the  miser  whose  horse  died  while 
he  was  engaged  in  the  vain  effort  to  accomplish  the  task 
of  making  it  live  without  food. 


232  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

So,  too,  with  the  latest  development  of  railroad  manage- 
ment— consolidation  and  its  accompanying  economies.  When 
the  new  policy  made  itself  manifest  in  evident  strength  and 
extent,  an  outcry  was  raised  that  the  monopolists  were  grasp- 
ing at  the  liberties  of  the  people,  and  seeking  to  oppress 
and  ruin  them  in  order  to  increase  their  riches.  And  this 
outcry  is  still  kept  up  in  some  quarters,  in  spite  of  the  evi- 
dent facts  that  the  oppression  and  ruin  of  a  people  is  the 
surest  way  to  the  destruction  of  the  sources  of  revenue,  and 
that  to-day  consolidation  and  concentration  of  management 
have  enabled  the  railroads  to  reduce  freights,  to  open  up 
new  and  vast  fields  for  settlement,  to  create  States  and  push 
forward  the  material  prosperity  of  countries  that  but  a  few 
years  ago  were  practically  inaccessible  to  commerce. 

To  illustrate  the  vast  extent  of  the  railroad  facilities  of 
Chicago  we  extract  the  following  from  the  annual  report  of 
the  railways  in  Illinois,  made  by  the  Board  of  Railroad  and 
Warehouse  Commissioners  on  December  10th,  1884: 

"  The  total  length  of  these  roads  is  given  at  20,477 
miles,  of  which  5,676  miles  are  in  Illinois.  The  aggregate 
of  main  lines  and  branches  is  31,059  miles,  of  which  9,141 
miles  are  in  this  State.  There  were  117  miles  of  new  road 
built  in  Illinois,  during  the  past  year.  The  total  amount  of 
stock  of  these  companies  is  given  at  $681,127,539,  of  which 
$519,136,245  is  preferred.  The  amount  held  in  Illinois  is 
$11,684,450.  The  aggregate  stock  and  bonded  floating 
debt  is  $1,346,751,603'.  Cost  of  construction  and  equip- 
ment $1,255,513,448. 

"  The  total  amounts  of  taxes  paid  in  Illinois  during  the 
past  three  years  are  as  follows:  In  1882,  $1,639,770.98;  in 
1883,  $1,690,067.17,  and  in  1884,  $2,067,982.20;  total, 
$5,297,820.35." 

Of  the  total  number  of  miles  of  railroad  in  the  United 
States  to-day,  there  are  roads  representing  fully  one-third 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION.  233 

centering  in  Chicago,   and  making  it  the  greatest  railroad 
center  in  the  world. 

We  add  a  brief  description  and  some  of  the  prominent 
features  of  these  leading  lines. 

CHICAGO,    EOCK    ISLAND  &  PACIFIC. 

One  of  the  most  enterprising,  as  well  as  most  successful 
and  popular  railroad  companies  in  the  country,  is  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific.  This  was  the  first  line  to 
connect  Chicago  with  the  Mississippi  River.  Chartered 
originally  in  1847  as  the  Rock  Island  &  LaSalle  Railroad, 
in  1851,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  the  name  was  changed 
to  the  Rock  Island  Co.,  and  it  was  under  that  name  that  the 
road  was  constructed  between  Chicago  and  Rock  Island. 
Since  that  time  it  has  by  amendment  to  its  charter,  and  by 
consolidation  with  other  companies  secured  valuable  and 
extensive  lines. 

The  road  to  Rock  Island  was  completed  in  1854,  and  at 
once  took  rank  as  one  of  the  leading  lines  of  the  country. 
It  passes  through  the  finest  region  of  the  great  State  of 
Illinois,  and  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  business 
prosperity  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1866  the  road  was 
consolidated  with  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railway  Co., 
under  the  name  of  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railway  Co.,  and  in  June,  1869,  its  line  was  completed  to 
Council  Bluffs,  giving  it  connection  with  the  then  newly 
completed  Union  Pacific  Railway.  From  the  date  of  its 
completion  to  the  Missouri  River  it  has  taken  rank  as  the 
shortest  and  best  link  in  the  mighty  chain  of  railroads 
that  connect  the  Orient  with  the  Occident,  and  has  been  the 
favorite  route-  with  passengers  to  and  from  the  mining  terri- 
tories, and  the  States  that  are  washed  by  the  waters  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  By  consolidation  with  other  lines,  and  the 


234  CHICAGO    COMMEKCE. 

building  of  brandies  in  Iowa  and  Missouri,  the  "  Rock 
Island  Line,"  as  it  is  familiarly  known,  has  expanded  since 
1869  from  550  miles  of  road  to  a  gigantic  railway  of  nearly 
1,4:00  miles.  Its  termini  now  embraces  the  nourishing 
cities  of  Chicago  and  Peoria,  111. ;  Keokuk,  Council  Bluffs, 
and  Des  Moines,  Iowa ;  Atchison  and  Leaven  worth,  Kan. ; 
and  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Its  geographical  position,  it  will  be 
seen  by  reference  to  a  map  of  the  country,  is  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  great  grain  and  cattle  producing  portions  of 
what  has  now  become  the  Central  Western  States ;  and  the 
commerce  that  flows  over  its  lines,  is  from  not  only  these 
States,  but  from  every  one  of  the  Western  Territories — from 
California  and  Oregon,  and  even  from  the  oldest  empires  of 
the  world,  Japan  and  China.  * 

Running  through  a  very  fertile  region,  inhabited  by  the 
most  energetic  and  intelligent  of  people,  it  has,  thanks  to  a 
progressive  management,  been  prosperous  from  its  very 
inception;  and  by  a  line  of  policy  closely  followed,  which 
has  for  one  of  its  best  features  fair  rates  for  passengers  and 
freight,  it  has  had,  and  maintained,  the  friendly  sympathy 
of  the  people  who  are  its  patrons. 

Of  the  various  causes  tLat  have  tended  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  commercial  interests  of  Chicago,  and  to  the 
development  of  the  great  West,  probably  none  figure  more 
prominently  than  the  railroad  in  question.  There  is  no 
line  of  railroad  in  the  West,  at  least,  if  in  the  entire  country, 
which  in  proportion  to  its  mileage,  earns  a  greater  revenue, 
and  no  road  that  accommodates  a  larger  population  or  greater 
interests  along  the  same  length  of  line. 

A  few  years  ago  the  management,  not  content  with  the 
business  coming  over  the  road  extending  to  the  West, 
opened  up  what  is  known  as  the  Albert  Lea  Route.  This 
route,  which  is  quite  a  favorite  with  tourists,  and  which 
does  an  extensive  freight  business,  extends  through  the 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION.  235 

great  Bed  River  Valley,  and  the  vast  Northern  Pacific 
country  to  Minnesota  and  Dakota.  It  reaches  to  Minne- 
apolis and  St.  Paul,  and  while  rendering  accessible  the 
beautiful  scenery  of  Minnesota  and  the  Upper  Mississippi, 
it  fixes  a  firm  grasp  upon  the  immense  business  of  the  great 
Northwestern  country. 

The  equipment  of  the  road  is  first-class  in  every  par- 
ticular; it  is  composed  of  the  very  best  day  cars  that  are 
made,  Pullman  Palace  Sleeping  cars  Horton  Reclining  Chair 
cars,  and  a  line  of  the  finest  dining  cars  that  are  to  be  found 
on  any  railway  in  the  world. 

The  management  is  ever  ready  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  its  patrons,  and  is  always  the  first  to  adopt  the  latest 
modern  improvements  tending  to  safety,  speed  and  comfort. 
For  the  accomodation  of  its  suburban  traffic  unusual  facili- 
ties are  afforded,  and  these  have  been  of  a  nature  to  greatly 
enhance  the  value  of  suburban  property  as  far  south  as 
Blue  Island,  and  at  intermediate  points  on  the  suburban 
division  of  the  Rock  Island. 

The  financial  affairs  of  the  company  are  in  a  most  satis- 
factory condition,  as  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  the  business 
in  all  departments  is  larger  per  mile  than  upon  any  other 
Western  road.  This  has  been  accomplished  by  a  wise  and 
liberal  policy,  the  superior  class  of  the  accomodation  pro- 
vided, and  a  clearly  demonstrated  desire  to  give  the  lowest 
rates  commensurate  with  the  service  rendered  in  whatever 
department  it  may  be. 

The  following  shows  the  number  of  miles  in    operation: 

Chicago -..m.to  Davenport _Ia 183  Miles. 

South  Englewood HI. 


Bureau.-. 111. 

Davenport , la. 

Davenport la. 

Newton la. 

Des  Moines-.  ._Ia. 


Irondale HI 7 

Peoria 111 47 

Missouri  Eiver la 317 

Kansas  City Mo 338 

Monroe la 17 

Indianola  . .            .  .la . .  23 


236  CHICAGO    COMMEBCE. 

Somerset  June la.  to  Winterset la 26  Miles. 

Menlo la.   "  Guthrie  Center la 14  " 

Atlantic la.  "   Griswold... ..la 14  " 

Audubon  June la.   "  Audubon la 25  " 

Avoca la.   "   Carson la 17  " 

Harlan  June la.   "  Harlan la 12  " 

Des  Moines la.   "  Keokuk la 1  162  " 

Mount  Zion la.  "  Keosauqua la 4  " 

Wilton.. la.   "   Muscatine la 12  " 

Washington la.   "   Knoxville la 78  " 

Cameron Mo."  Atchison Kan 63  " 

Edgerton  June Mo. "  Leavenworth Kan 22  " 


Total  mileage 1,381 

The  general  officials  of  this  line  are  as  follows: 

E.  B.  Cable President  and  General  Manager Chicago,  111. 

David  Dows Vice-President  _» N.  Y.  City. 

A  .Kimball .Vice-President  and  Gen'l  Superintendent  .Chicago,  111. 

F.  H.  Tows Secretary  and  Treasurer N.  Y.  City. 

T.  F.Withrow... General  Solicitor Chicago,  HI. 

H.  F.  Royce Ass't  Gen'l  Sup't Davenport,  la. 

W.  G.  Purdy Local  Treasurer Chicago,  111. 

C.  F.  Jilson Auditor  and  Ass't  Secretary Chicago,  HL 

E.  St.  John General  Ticket  and  Passenger  Agent Chicago,  HL 

E.  A.  Holbrook_- Ass't  General  Passenger  Agent Chicago,  HI. 

A.  Temple Ticket  Auditor i Chicago,  HL 

W.  M.  Sage General  Freight  Agent Chicago,  111. 

J.  M.  Johnson — First  Ass't  General  Freight  Agent Chicago,  111. 

Dan.  Atwood Second  Ass't  General  Freight  Agent Chicago,  I1L 

G.  H.  Crosby Freight  Auditor Chicago,  I1L 

CHICAGO,  BURLINGTON  &  QUINCY. 

This  great  "  system  "  which  now  owns  and  controls  over 
5,000  miles  of  first-class  track,  was  originally  chartered  as 
the  Chicago  &  Aurora  Railroad  in  1852.  The "  present 
corporation,  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  was  formed 
by  consolidation  in  1856.  That  part  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
known  as  the  military  tract,  has  been  the  exclusive  territory 
of  the  Burlington  people,  and  those  circumstances  which 
exist  only  when  brisk  competition  is  lacking,  have  made  it 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION. 


237 


one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  powerful  corporations  in  the 
world,  with  a  capital  stock  that  runs  far  up  in  the  tens  of 
millions,  and  is  managed  by  able,  progressive,  liberal  men, 
who  stand  in  the  front  rank  of  their  profession.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  company  is  diffused  through  all  that  extensive 
.territory  of  which  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City,  Omaha 
and  Denver  are  chief  cities,  and  of  which  the  wealthiest  and 
most  populous  portions  of  the  six  States  already  named,  are 
legitimate  and  constant  feeders. 

An  evidence  that  the  Burlington  Route  is  the  popular 
railroad  west  of  Chicago,  and  that  in  addition  its  immense 
system  traverses  the  most  thickly  settled  and  productive 
country  in  the  United  States,  is  shown  by  the  following  cor- 
rect statistics. 

The  following  exhibits  the  total  receipts  of  Grain,  Cattle, 
Hogs,  Sheep,  Horses  and  Wool,  at  Chicago,  for  the  year 
1883,  carried  by  lake,  canal,  and  seventeen  railroads: 


AKTICLES. 

Received 
By  all  Routes. 

Total  by 
Burlington  Route. 

Per  ct.  by 
Burlington 
Bxmte. 

Wheat,  bushels 

20,364,115 

6,824,158 

33.51 

Corn,         " 

74,412,319 

30,747,672 

42.66 

Oats, 

36,502,283 

7,821,807 

21.42 

Rye,        " 

5,484,259 

1,854,121 

35.61 

Barley,      " 

8,831,899 

1,928,778 

21.84 

Total  bushels  Grain.  .. 

149,594,995 

49,175,936 

32.87 

Wool,  pounds 

40  433  104 

n7Q4.  0*77 

9Q  1^ 

Hogs,  number 

5  fUO  82^ 

1  37^  703 

9A  '-in 

Cattle       " 

1  873809 

555295 

29  50 

Horses,     " 

15255 

4368 

28  fiO 

Sheep,       •' 

749.917 

201,551 

29.80 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  six  great  States  through 
which  this  road  runs,  and  which  are  its  immediate  feeders, 
produce  about  one-third  of  the  wheat  raised  in  the  United 
States,  nearly  one-half  of  the  corn,  over  one-third  of  the 
oats  and  cattle,  nearly  thirty-five  per  cent,  of  the  hogs,  and 


238  CHICAGO    COMMEECE. 

other  products  in  about  equally  great  proportions,  the  possi- 
bilities for  this  road  bewilder  the  mind  by  their  immensity 
and  dazzles  the  imagination  to  fix  an  idea  of  its  potential 
and  enriching  future. 

It  is  the  only  line  extending  from  Chicago,  Peoria  and 
St.  Louis,  direct  to  Denver,  passing  through  Pacific  Junc- 
tion, Omaha,  Atchison,  St.  Joseph  and  Kansas  City.  It 
traverses  all  the  six  great  States  of  Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri, 
Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Colorado,  with  branch  lines  to  their 
larger  cities  and  towns. 

It  adopts  every  improvement  and  facility  that  tend  to 
the  rapid,  safe  and  satisfactory  transmission  of  both  passen- 
gers and  freight. 

The  general  officers  of  tftis  company  are: 

C.  E.  Perkins,  President,  Burlington,  la. 

T.  G.  Potter,  1st  Vice-President,  Chicago. 

J.  C.  Peaseley,  2d  Vice-President,  Chicago. 

T.  G.  Porter,  General  Manager,   Chicago. 

Henry  B.  Stone,  Assistant  General  Manager,  Chicago. 

E.  P.  Eipley,  General  Freight  Agent,  Chicago. 

Paul  Morton,  Assistant  General  Freight  Agent,  Chicago. 

Perceval  Lowell,  General  Passenger  Agent,  Chicago. 

E.  L.  Lornax,  Assistant  General  Passenger  Agl,  Chicago. 

THE  CHICAGO  &  ALTON  RAILROAD. 

The  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  extends  from  Chicago  to 
St,  Louis  in  nearly  a  direct  line  about  282  miles  in  length, 
with  a  branch  running  from  Bloomington.  about  midway 
between  the  two  great  cities,  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  to 
Eoodhouse,  and  thence  due  west  in  a  straight  line,  across 
the  Louisiana  bridge  of  the  Mississippi,  to  Kansas  City, 
distant  from  Chicago  about  526  miles.  Besides  these,  there 
are  various  minor  branches ;  one  connecting  Roodhouse  with 
Alton,  bringing  the  traffic  from  Kansas  City  and  Central 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION.  239 

and  Northern  Missouri  to  Chicago;  one  running  from 
Mexico,  Mo.,  to  Cedar  City,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Mis- 
souri Kiver,  opposite  Jefferson  City,  the  state  capital;  one 
from  Joliett,  111.,  to  Coal  City,  and  one  from  D  wight,  111.,  to 
Lacon  and  Washington,  at  which  latter  place  it  makes  close 
connection  with  lines  running  to  Peoria,  Pekin,  Rock  Island 
and  the  whole  North. 

The  management  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Eailroad  is 
one  of  the  most  successful  and  energetic  in  the  country.  Its 
policy  has  always  been  one  of  consistent  effort  to  afford  the 
public,  both  passengers  and  shippers,  the  utmost  conve- 
nience and  dispatch  that  science  is  capable  of  producing. 
For  instance,  it  was  among  the  first,  if  not  the  first  road  in 
the  country,  to  supply  reclining  chairs,  luxurious  parlor 
coaches,  dining  cars,  and  the  like,  and  it  led  the  way  in  sub- 
stituting steel  rails  for  iron,  which  are  now  only  retained  on 
side-tracks  and  one  unimportant  branch.  Thus,  of  the  total 
1088.83  miles  of  track,  over  934  miles  are  steel  rails  of 
sixty  and  seventy  pounds  to  the  yard,  and  of  this,  5,009  tons 
of  new  steel  rails  were  laid  during  1883.  Besides  this, 
twenty-seven  spans  of  wooden  bridge,  of  an  aggregate  length 
of  1,699  feet,  were  replaced  during  the  year,  with  iron 
bridge,  at  a  cost  of  $7,122.21. 

In  consequence  of  these  and  other  improvements  such  as 
these,  and  of  the  rapidity,  safety  and  precision  of  travel,  the 
road  is  a  leading  favorite  with  the  public,  and  each  year 
shows  an  advanced  figure  in  its  gross  and  net  earnings.  In 
1883  the  gross  earnings  per  mile  of  road  were  $10,368 /(J,. 
and  the  net  earnings  $4,625.50  per  mile,  while  in  1882  the 
figures  showed  respectively  $9,677.80  and  $4,388.92,  the 
increase  in  the  gross  earnings  being  7.243  per  cent.,  and  in 
the  net  earnings  5.390  per  cent.  Thus,  while  the  operating 
expenses  per  mile  were  increased — meaning  a  corresponding 
comfort  and  safety  of  the  public — from  64.602  per  cent,  to 


240  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

55.387  per  cent  of  the  gross  earnings,  the  actual  gain  in  net 
income  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  $200,000,  a  significant 
illustration  of  the  wisdom  of  judicious  liberality  in  manage- 
ment. The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  earnings  and 
expenses,  including  taxes,  of  the  road  for  the  past  two  years: 

1882.  1883. 

Earnings  from  all  sources $8,215,495.12  $8,810, 610.38 

Operating  expenses 4,485,881.53  4,879,958.32 


Net  earnings $3,729,613.59  $3,930,652.06 


Operating  expenses  per    ct.   of   gross 

earnings 54602-1000  55387-1000 

Increase  in  gross  earnings $595,115.26 

Increase  in  operating  expenses 394,076.79 


Increase  in  net  earnings $201,038.47 

THE    CHICAGO    &    NORTHWESTERN. 

As  good  a  way  as  any  to  illustrate  the  difference  between 
"  Auld  Lang  Syne"  and  the  present  in  railway  service,  is  to 
select  one  of  the  typical  modern  roads  and  give  a  description 
of  the  territory  that  it  covers  and  the  service  that  it  gives 
the  traveling  public.  The  CHICAGO  &  NORTHWESTERN 
system  starts  at  Chicago,  from  which  point  it  stretches  out 
to  the  North,  Northwest  and  West,  through  the  richest  and 
best  portions  of  the  Northwest.  The  following  are  among 
its  through  trunk  lines: 

FIRST — A  line  running  nearly  due  north  along  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan,  through  the  cities  of  Milwaukee  Fond  du 
Lac,  Oshkosh,  Appleton,  Green  Bay  to  Ishpeming  and  Mar- 
quette,  Houghton,  Hancock,  Calumet  and  the  copper  regions 
of  Michigan,  carrying  passengers  from  Chicago  through 
Wisconsin  to  the  Northern  Peninsula  of  Michigan  without 
change  of  cars. 

SECOND — A  line  running  a  little  west  of  the  above  through 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION.  241 

the  cities  of  Harvard,  Janesville,  Jefferson,  Watertown,  and 
intersecting  the  former  at  Fond  du  Lac. 

THIRD — A  line  run.i.ng  west  from  Milwaukee  through 
Waukesha  and  Madison  to  Galena  and  Montfort. 

FOURTH — A  line  running  west  from  Sheboygan  on  Lake 
Michigan  through  Fond  du  Lac,  Ripon  and  Green  Lake  to 
Princeton. 

FIFTH — A  line  from  Chicago  through  Harvard,  Beloit, 
Madison,  Devil's  Lake,  Baraboo,  Elroy,  Eau  Claire  and 
Hudson  to  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis.  Trains  on  this  line 
connect  in  a  union  depot  with  trains  for  Fargo,  Bismarck, 
the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  and  all  points  in  the  North- 
western Pacific  Coast  regions.  Connecting  with  this  line  at 
Eau  Claire  is  a  branch  that  runs  to  Spooner,  Wis.,  where  it 
divides — one  arm  running  to  Ashland,  Washburn  and  Bay- 
field  ;  and  the  other  to  Superior  City  and  Duluth. 

SIXTH — Lines  running  from  both  Chicago  and  St.  Paul 
and  Minneapolis,  through  to  Huron,  Pierre,  Watertown,  Red- 
field,  Aberdeen,  Columbia,  and  the  famous  grain  regions  of 
Central  Dakota. 

SEVENTH — A  line  running  nearly  due  west  from  Chicago 
through  Dixon,  Sterling,  Clinton,  Cedar  Rapids,  Des  Moines, 
Marshalltown  to  Council  Bluffs,  Omaha,  Sioux  City,  Norfolk, 
Fremont,  Neligh,  Valentine,  and  the  fertile  fields  of  North- 
eastern Nebraska.  Through  trains  are  run  by  this  line  carry- 
ing passengers  from  Chicago  to  San  Francisco  with  but  one 
change  of  cars,  and  from  Chicago  to  Denver  without 
change. 

EIGHTH — A  line  from  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  to  Sioux 
City,  Iowa. 

NINTH — A  line  from  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  to  Des 
Moines,  Iowa. 

TENTH — A  line  connecting  with  the'  main  Iowa  line  at 
both  Tama  and  Ames,  and  running  through  Northwestern 
Iowa  to  Central  Dakota  points.  16 


242  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

These,  together  with  the  shorter  branches  shooting  off 
from  the  main  lines  in  various  directions,  form  an  aggregate 
of  nearly  6,000  miles  of  road,  all  under  the  management  of 
this  great  corporation.  But  not  alone  in  the  number  of  miles 
owned  does  this  road  excel.  In  lieu  of  the  old  straps  and 
light  irons  and  slow  time  it  carries  its  passengers  safely  at 
the  rate  of  forty  miles  an  hour  over  smooth  steel  rails  on 
solid  rock  foundation. 

The  old-fashioned  and  uncomfortable  day  car  is  superseded 
on  this  line  by  palatial  coaches  that  are  models  of  comfort 
and  elegance,  and  that  at  night  are  transformed  into  luxurious 
sleeping  apartments  furnished  with  comfortable  beds  and  all 
appliances  for  rest  and  refreshment.  But  the  climax  of  all 
improvements  in  the  modern  over  the  ancient  railway  ser- 
vice is  in  the  Dining  Cars  as  introduced  and  operated  by  this 
company. 

THE   CHICAGO,    MILWAUKEE  &  ST.  PAUL  EAILWAY. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  roads,  or  rather  systems 
of  roads,  in  the  country,  running  from  Chicago  to  Council 
Bluffs,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis,  Sioux  City,  Running  Water, 
Chamberlain  and  Aberdeen,  and  has  a  direct  connection  from 
St.  Louis,  via  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railways,  to  all  points  in  the 
North  and  Northwest. 

Their  lines  from  Chicago  to  Council  Bluffs  and  St.  Paul 
are  the  Short  Lines.  The  mileage  of  this  vast  system  is 
4,804  miles,  which  is  the  greatest  number  of  miles  operated 
under  one  management  in  this  country,  and  extends  through 
the  richest  grain  producing  counties  in  the  States  of  Iowa, 
Minnesota  and  Dakota.  The  earnings  of  this  corporation 
have,  during  the  past  year,  reached  the  expectations  of  its 
management,  considering  the  depressed  state  of  commerce; 
this  is  owing  to  its  large  and  complete  equipment,  good 


BAILEOAD    TBANSPORTATION.  243 

time,  and  excellent  facilities  for  handling  business  generally, 
placing  it  in  the  front  rank  of  the  leading  railway  systems 
of  the  West. 

If  the  reader  will  glance  at  any  well  printed  map,  he  will 
at  once  see  the  importance  of  this  system,  not  only  to  the 
people  of  the  Northwest,  but  to  the  country  at  large.  It 
connects  all  of  the  great  Western  and  Northwestern  markets, 
and  traverses  by  its  numerous  main  lines  and  branches,  the 
best  farming  sections  of  the  States  in  which  its  tracks  are 
laid.  St.  Paul  is  a  flourishing  and  important  center  of  trade, 
and  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul,  will  always  remain 
one  of  the  principal  factors  of  its  growth  and  prosperity. 
The  St.  Paul  Road  brings  enormous  quantities  of  corn, 
wheat  and  lumber,  and  thousands  of  hogs,  cattle  and  sheep 
to  Chicago  and  Milwaukee,  and  in  return  carries  west  from 
these  cities  and  distributes  through  its  territory  thousands 
of  tons  of  merchandise,  agricultural  implements,  and  other 
manufactured  articles.  It  enjoys  a  large  and  constantly 
increasing  passenger  traffic,  and  takes  from  Chicago  its  share 
of  the  foreign  immigrants  who  pass  North  and  Northwest. 
The  St.  Paul  Company  has  done  a  great  deal  in  peopling  the 
States  and  Territories  of  the  Northwest,  but  it  has  yet  more  to 
do  in  this  respect.  Its  various  lines  are  dotted  with  thrifty 
villages  and  cities,  nearly  all  of  which  have  sprung  up  since 
its  tracks  were  laid,  and  the  country  through  which  it  passes 
is  increasing  in  population  and  wealth  with  every  year.  The 
stability  of  the  road  and  the  confidence  of  the  monied 
classes  in  its  management,  are  shown  by  the  strength  of  its 
stocks  and  bonds,  which  are  eagerly  sought  for  investment 
purposes. 

LOUISVILLE,    NEW   ALBANY    &   CHICAGO    EAILBOAD. 

The  Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chicago  Railway, 
popularly  known  as  the  "  Monon  Route,"  is  one  of  the  most 
important  of  all  the  Southern  lines  entering  Chicago.  The 


244  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

main  line  extends  from  Chicago  to  Louisville,  323  miles, 
passing  through  Lafayette,  Crawfordsville,  Green  Castle, 
Bloomington,  Mitchell  and  New  Albany,  Ind.  At  Monon, 
Ind.,  the  "Air  Line"  division  extending  from  Michigan 
City  to  Indianapolis,  154  miles,  intersects  the  main  line. 
This  division  passes  through  Monticello,  Delphi,  Owasco 
and  Frankfort,  Ind. 

Cedar  Lake,  38  miles  from  Chicago  on  the  main  line, 
is  rapidly  growing  into  favor  as  a  summer  resort,  and  is 
visited  by  thousands  of  people  each  season.  The  lake 
abounds  with  bass,  pickerel  and  other  fish. 

The  famous  Bedford  Stone  Quarries  are  located  on  the 
line  and  furnish  a  very  large  traffic. 

The  track,  equipment  and  "service  of  the  "  Monon  Route" 
are  first-class,  making  it  a  great  favorite  with  the  traveling 
public.  In  addition  to  the  Chicago  &  Louisville  Line,  the 
company  operate  a  through  line  between  Chicago  and 
Cincinnati  via  Indianapolis,  in  connection  with  the  Cincin- 
nati, Hamilton  &  Dayton  Railroad,  affording  Southern, 
tourists  a  choice  of  Pullman  Car  Routes  via  Louisville  or 
Cincinnati. 

Recalling  the  exorbitant  rates,  slow  time,  vexatious 
delays,  and  numerous  changes  in  dingy  coaches,  that  attended 
a  trip  to  Louisville  and  the  South  of  a  few  years  ago,  the 
business  man  and  the  tourist  alike  appreciate  the  advantages 
of  the  Monon  Route,  with  its  solid  trains  and  Pullman 
palace  sleepers,  its  reasonable  rates,  its  fast  time,  its  smooth 
tracks,  and  its  courteous  officials.  Being  the  only  line  to 
Louisville  from  Chicago  under  one  management,  it  offers  to 
its  patrons  accommodations  that  no  other  line  could,  and 
gains  the  good- will  of  the  public  by  its  low  and  reasonable 
rates.  Gaining  friends  daily  by  service  and  splendid  equip- 
ment, supplemented  by  fair  dealing,  the  Monon  Route  to-day 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  lines,  both  with  the  tourist  whose 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION.  245 

journey  South  is  attended  with  every  pleasure  and  com- 
fort possible,  and  the  merchant  who  finds  that  by  this  road 
only  can  he  ship  his  wares  to  the  Ohio  Eiver  without 
change  or  delay.  The  traveling  man,  knowing  the  comforts 
of  a  solid  train,  and  Pullman  buffet  sleepers,  and  the 
finest  only  are  run  via  Monon- — will  take  no  other  line 
to  Louisville.  To  the  Monon  Route  belongs  the  credit 
of  introducing  the  first  and  only  Pullman  sleeping-car  line 
through  from  Chicago  to  Jacksonville  without  change,  and 
it  is  still  the  only  route  by  which  Pullman  car  service  is 
secured  via  Louisville  to  Florida.  The  route  is  character- 
istically a  tourist's  line,  leading  from  the  South  to  the  cool 
resorts  of  the  Northwest  in  summer,  and  from  the  chilly 
blasts  of  the  North  to  the  balmy  breezes  of  a  mild  South  in 
winter.  The  time  was,  when  a  trip  from  Chicago  to  Florida 
or  the  Gulf  resorts  was  a  slow  and  tedious  undertaking, 
attended  by  so  many  annoyances  that  few  had  the  courage 
to  make  it.  Now,  thanks  to  the  Monon  Route,  a  trip  to 
Southern  resorts  is  a  pleasure  in  itself. 

THE    ILLINOIS    CENTRAL. 

The  Illinois  Central  Railroad  has  been  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  the  development  of  Chicago  and  the 
West.  It  was  one  of  the  first  roads  built,  and  has  been 
the  commercial  backbone  of  Illinois,  making  its  products 
marketable,  and  increasing  its  growth  and  wealth.  It  now 
covers  fifteen  degrees  of  latitude,  and  connects  Chicago  with 
the  Missouri  River  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

It  is  the  only  road  that  has  an  unbroken,  direct  line  to 
the  South,  and  makes  a  journey  to  the  land  of  perpetual 
summer  agreeable,  safe  and  speedy.  Through  cars  of  the 
most  luxurious  pattern  run  to  all  the  desirable  resorts 
sought  by  winter  tourists,  and  the  journey  offers  attractions 
that  can  not  be  found  elsewhere. 


246  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

The  completion  of  the  Pensacola  &  Atlantic  Railway 
gives  a  through  line  from  Chicago  to  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  by 
way  of  New  Orleans,  and  permits  the  tourist  to  visit  all  of 
the  popular  resorts  on  the  Gulf  coast.  The  connections  for 
Texas  and  California  are  such  as  to  offer  the  best  winter 
route,  the  line  being  always  free  from  snow  and  ice  and 
cold,  and  the  fare  is  as  low  as  by  any  other  road. 

San  Antonio,  Austin,  Galveston,  and  Houston,  Texas,  are 
made  the  objective  points  for  no  less  than  twelve  routes,  via 
New  Orleans  going,  and  via  either  the  Missouri  Pacific  or 
Iron  Mountain  routes  and  St.  Louis  returning,  or  vice  versa. 
Havana,  Cuba,  and  Hot  Springs  and  Eureka  Springs,  Ark., 
are  also  excursion  points. 

To  the  northward  the  road  winds  its  way  from  Chicago 
to  the  rich  farm  lands  of  Iowa  to  Sioux  City  on  the  Missouri 
River,  where  close  connection  is  made  with  the  diverging 
lines  through  Dakota  and  Nebraska,  thus  giving  Chicago 
direct  access  to  the  immense  wheat  fields  of  those  States. 
At  Waterloo,  Iowa,  the  Cedar  Falls  and  Minnesota  Branch 
extends  a  distance  of  eighty  miles  to  Mona,  situated  on  the 
State  line  between  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  and  where  entrance 
to  the  latter  State  is  made  over  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  Railroad. 

The  Illinois  Central  was  the  first  railroad  to  introduce 
suburban  trains,  having  commenced  running  them  as  early 
as  1856.  To  its  management  is  due  the  development  and 
growth  of  the  beautiful  suburbs  south  of  the  city,  as  its 
frequent  trains  made  them  even  more  accessible  than  some 
of  the  resident  portions  of  Chicago  that  are  reached  only  by 
the  street  cars.  Upward  of  three  million  of  people  are 
carried  annually  upon  these  suburban  trains,  and  the  num- 
ber that  go  to  South  Park  and  Pullman  sometimes  reaches 
thousands  per  day. 

The    Illinois    Central  embraces  five  divisions,   and  has 


RAILROAD    TRANSPORTATION.  247 

1,928  miles  of  road  laid  in  the  most  efficient  manner  possi- 
ble, is  thoroughly  equipped  with  every  device  of  modern 
ingenuity  for  the  safe  and  successful  operation  of  traffic,  and 
has  justly  merited  its  great  popularity  by  increasing  effort  to 
accommodate  and  benefit  its  vast  multitude  of  patrons. 

WABASH,    ST.    LOUIS    AND    PACIFIC    RAILWAY. 

The  "  Wabash,"  as  it,  generally  speaking,  is  termed,  is 
one  of  the  most  extensive  railway  systems  on  the  continent, 
embracing  upwards  of  3,500  miles  in  its  three  main  divis- 
ions— the  Eastern,  Western,  and  the  Chicago  and  Iowa 
Division. 

As  indicated  by  the  name,  the  road  is  a  direct  commu- 
nication with  the  lovely  and  fertile  valley  of  the  great 
Wabash,  the  Missippi  Yalley  and  the  far-away  Pacific  slope, 
for  the  Lake  region.  Its  division  lines  are  operated  in  the 
States  of  Missouri,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Iowa,  form- 
ing a  junction  at  Council  Bluffs  with  the  Union  Pacific, 
which  wends  its  way  across  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the 
Golden  Gate  city.  The  road  makes  tributary  to  Chicago 
an  immense  scope  of  country,  and  provides  our  commerce 
with  a  vast  system  of  transportation,  the  importance  of 
which  cannot  be  overestimated.  The  road  is  thoroughly 
equipped  with  every  appliance  of  improved  make  for  secur- 
ing speed  and  safety  on  railways,  and  through  its  able  man- 
agement and  courteous  treatment  of  patrons,  has  become 
justly  popular  with  the  public. 

MICHIGAN    CENTRAL   SYSTEM. 

This  road  is  the  great  central  route  through  the  State  of 
Michigan,  and  by  its  widely  diverging  lines,  which  course 
their  way  in  every  direction  through  the  State,  there  is 
established  a  direct  inter-communication  between  the  multi- 
tude of  busy  hives  of  human  industry,  located  upon  lakes 


248  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

Michigan,  Huron  and  Erie,  and  places  them  all  within  a  few 
hours'  ride,  through  magnificent  scenery,  and  exhilarating 
atmosphere,  to  Chicago  on  the  West  and  New  York,  through 
Canada  on  the  East.  The  system  embraces  10  divisions 
aggregating  over  1,000  miles  of  rail — 890  of  which  are 
steel.  The  rolling  stock  is  of  the  most  improved  patterns, 
embracing  every  description  of  arrangement  and  mechani- 
cal device  that  can  possibly  conduce  to  safety  and  speed, 
comfort  and  convenience. 

As  before  stated,  it  ramifies  the  entire  State  of  Michigan, 
and  makes  tributary  to  Chicago  the  vast  scope  of  territory 
lying  between  Michigan,  Huron  and  Erie  lakes,  as  well  as 
large  portions  lying  to  the  eastward  in  Canada  and  New 
York.  The  main  line  skifts  the  southern  end  of  Lake 
Michigan  on  its  way  to  Detroit,  from  whence  the  South 
Haven  and  the  Grand  Rapids  divisions  run,  and  where  con- 
nections with  the  Canada  Southern,  Great  Western  and 
Grand  Trunk  lines  lead  into  Canada;  and  with  the  Detroit, 
Lansing  and  Northern,  and  the  Detroit,  Saginaw  and  Bay 
City  lines  reaching  to  the  extreme  Northern  limits  of  the 
State,  are  made ;  and  also  with  other  diverging  lines  and  the 
steamers  traversing  Lake  Erie  to  the  East.  The  air-line 
division  runs  from  Chicago  by  way  of  the  main  line  to  Niles, 
and  thence  to  Jackson  where  it  continues  on  the  main  line 
to  Detroit.  The  system  is  perfect  in  all  its  arrangements 
of  divisions,  and  strikes  the  great  salt  regions  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Saginaw  Bay,  and  the  immense  lumber  regions  of  the 
State,  making  these  valuable  industries  directly  tributary  to 
the  wealth  of  Chicago. 


HOTELS. 


In  no  feature  is  progressive  Chicago  better  or  more  for- 
cibly illustrated  than  in  her  hotels.  In  addition  to  the  large 
boarding-houses  scattered  throughout  the  resident  portion 
of  the  city,  there  are  about  165  regular  hotels  in  Chicago, 
affording  accommodation  to  at  least  27,000  people,  and 
remarkable  as  it  appears,  these  hotels  are  always  full  of 
guests,  and  often  have  to  resort  to  expedients  to  provide  the 
accommodation  required.  With  the  single  exception  of 
New  York,  this  city  is  better  able  to  entertain  great  crowds 
than  any  other  city  on  the  continent.  This  was  amply 
demonstrated  during  the  past  summer,  when  both  the  Demo- 
cratic and  Republican  Conventions  were  held  here. 

PALMER    HOUSE. 

The  Palmer  House  is  a  National  establishment,  and  has 
acquired  a  world-wide  fame.  It  is  a  monument  of  the  enter- 
prise, energy  and  public  spirit  of  Potter  Palmer,  of  whom 
it  is  only  just  to  say,  that  there  is  no  single  individual  who 
has  done  more  to  build  up  this  city  and  to  add  to  its  grand- 
eur and  reputation.  The  house  has  850  rooms,  affording 
accommodations  for  1,500  people,  and  is  absolutely  fire 
proof. 

The  whole  surroundings  and  appurtenances  of  the  hotel 
are  on  the  grandest  style,  and  it  is  conducted  in  a  manner 
to  please  the  most  critical  taste.  It  is  the  only  hotel  in  the 

249 


250  CHICAGO    COMMERCE. 

city  where  the  guests  have  a  choice  of  the  European  or 
American  plans,  and  they  can  take  their  meals  in  any  one  of 
the  three  magnificent  dining-rooms,  or  in  the  Cafe  or  Res- 
taurant. The  restaurant,  which  is  the  most  elegant  in 
Chicago,  and  is  not  surpassed  in  the  country,  is  an  imperial 
apartment,  circular  in  form,  and  made  of  marble  and  mir- 
rors, It  is  the  favorite  resort  of  the  fashionable  people  of 
the  city  for  lunches  and  dinners,  and  for  suppers  after  the 
theater  or  opera. 

The  classes  of  guests  a  hotel  entertains  are  the  best 
index  of  its  character,  and  those  who  go  to  the  Palmer 
House  are  men  who  know  where  to  find  the  best  accommo- 
dations. Mr.  Willis  Howe,  the  managing  partner,  gives  his 
personal  attention  to  every  detail  of  the  management  of  this 
palatial  house. 

Attached  to  the  Palmer  House,  and  connecting  with  the 
main  office  are  the  finest  barber  shop  and  the  finest  bath- 
rooms in  the  world.  They  are  known  as  "  The  Garden  of 
Eden,"  from  the  name  of  Mr.  W.  S.  Eden,  the  proprietor. 
There  is  no  place  of  the  kind  on  either  continent  fitted  up 
with  such  magnificence.  The  cost  of  the  fixtures  in  the 
barber  shop  alone  was  $23,000,  and  of  the  bathing  depart- 
ment, $30,000.  The  former,  which  is  40x100  feet  in  size, 
is  furnished  with  mirrors  on  every  side  and  overhead,  in 
which  are  reflected  many  times  the  burnished  brass  fixtures, 
the  gilded  columns  and  coi  nices,  the  marble  walls  and  floors, 
the  elegant  plush  and  velvet  sofas  and  chairs.  In  all,  there 
are  5,000  square  feet  of  mirrors,  one  being  100x150  inches, 
the  largest  in  this  country.  The  washstand,  which  cost 
$3,000,  is  composed  of  seven  different  colored  costly  marbles, 
and  over  it  is  a  handsomely  designed  marble  arch  in  which 
is  a  pyramid  of  elegant  French  clocks  that  are  set  to  the 
time  of  different  cities. 

The  bathing  department  is  a  marvel.     Every  known  bath 


HOTELS.  251 

can  be  had.  Marble  floors,  marble  baths,  and  marble 
scrubbing  beds  are  everywhere.  In  the  "Macerecure" 
room  twenty  different  kinds  of  baths  are  furnished.  In  one 
room  is  a  diving  tank,  15x50,  with  a  depth  of  5^  feet.  The 
"  needle  "  shower  bath,  with  its  million  sprays,  cost  $1,000. 
The  Russian  and  Turkish  bath-rooms  are  fitted  up  in  the 
highest  style  of  perfection,  and  throughout  the  whole 
department  nothing  is  wanting  to  make  it  the  most  consum- 
mate triumph  of  modern  art  and  taste.  To  these  will  soon 
be  added  an  apartment  exclusively  for  ladies,  in  which  all 
the  baths  before  enumerated  will  have  a  counterpart.  The 
fittings  of  these  are  in  even  more  elaborate  and  costly 
designs  than  those  already  described.  Mr.  Eden  is  also 
the  proprietor  of  the  barber  shop  at  the  Tremont. 


INDEX  TO  CONTENTS. 


Accident  Insurance ._  103 

Agricultural  Implements 118 

Ale  Brewing 117 

Animal  Vaccine 165 

Appliances  for  Electric  Lights 106 

Artificial  Limbs 154 

Banking 13 

Bank  Statements 20 

Barley 68 

Beer 111 

Beef  Packing 94 

Blood  and  Offal  Dryers 98 

Bonds  and  Stocks , 37 

Boots  and  Shoes _ 148 

Brewing 111 

Brokers,  Grain 61 

Brokers  and  Money  Dealers 37 

Caps  and  Hats 143 

Carriages 214 

Carriage  Varnish 217 

Cattle 77 

Cattle  Packing _ 94 

Chemicals • 156 

Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad 238 

Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad 236 

Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railroad 242 

Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad 240 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific  Railroad I 233 

Cloaks 145 

Clothing 140 

Club,  Washington  Park 61 

253 


254  INDEX    TO    CONTENTS. 


Corn 68 

Copyright ;.... 2 

Crockery 212 

Decorations,  Interior 192 

Deposit,  Safety  Companies 39 

Diamonds 159 

Dressed  Beef 94 

Dryers,  Blood  and  Offal 98 

Dryers,  Lumber,  etc 182 

Dry  Goods 122 

Dry  Goods  Commission 126 

Drugs 156 

Dumb-Waiters 198 

Electric  Lights 106 

Elevators,  Grain 61 

Fancy  Goods  and  Toys , 209 

Farm  Machinery -118 

Financial  Review 13 

Fire  Clay  Products 189 

Fire  Insurance 101 

Fireproofing 185 

Furnishings,  Interior 192 

Furnishings  for  Mills 224 

General  Review .  7 

Glass  and  Crockery 212 

Grain 68 

Grain  Elevators 71 

Groceries 151 

Hats  and  Caps 143 

Hogs  and  Live  Stock 77 

Hotels 249 

Houses,  Portable i 180 

Ice  Machines 221 

Illinois  Central  Railroad 246 

Insurance,  Accident 103 

Insurance,  Fire 101 

Insurance,  Plate  Glass 103 

Interior  Decorations 192 

Introductory  Review 7 

Iron  and  Steel 199 

Jennings  Dryer.. 182 

Jewelry 159 

Legislative  Interference  with  Transportation 230 


INDEX    TO   CONTENTS.  255 


Lcmisville,  New  Albany  and  Chicago  Railroad _ 243 

Limbs,  Artificial 154 

Live  Stock 77 

Live  Stock  Commission .. 85 

Lumber 164 

Men's  Clothing 140 

Michigan  Central  Railroad . 247 

Millinery 134 

Mill  Furnishings 224 

Monon  Route 243 

Money  Brokers 37 

Notice  of  Index 5 

Notions,  Dry  Goods 122 

Notions,  Milh'nery,  etc 134 

Oats 68 

Offal  Dryers.. 98 

Packing,  Hogs 86 

Packing,  Cattle 94 

Parks 9 

Planing  Mills 179 

Plate  Glass  Insurance 103 

Porter  Brewing 117 

Pork  Packing 86 

Preface 3 

Portable  Houses 180 

Public  Parks 9 

Racing  Park 61 

Railroads 230 

Railroad  Consolidation 232 

Railroad  Legislation 230 

Railroad  Management 231 

Railroad  Transportation r 230 

Real  Estate 47 

Review  of  Chicago  Commerce 7 

Rock  Island  Railroad 233 

Rye 68 

Safety  Deposit  Companies.- 39 

Sash,  Doors  and  Blinds 179 

Sewing  Silk 130 

Shoes 148 

Silverware 159 

Special  Notice 6 

Silk,  Sewing.. 130 


256  INDEX    TO    CONTENTS. 


Steel  Manufacturing 199 

Stock  Yards 77 

Stocks  and  Bonds 37 

Stoves 225 

Suburban  Eeal  Estate 54 

Telephones 227 

Terra  Cotta .' 189 

Toys  and  Fancy  Goods 209 

Transportation 230 

Vaccine 155 

Varnish 217 

Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railroad 247 

Wagons 214 

Washington  Park  Club 61 

Watches 159 

Wheat  ..  68 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

382  097731 C434  C001 

CHICAGO  COMMERCE,  MANUFACTURES,  BANKING, 


30112025307742 


